Crystallized
by FairyTailWzard
Summary: Mae Topaz is thrust into a life she doesn't fully understand when King Alfor finds her after her mother; Almas the Crystal Dragon, abandons her. 10,000 later she is thrust into another life she doesn't want when she is awoken to find her adopted home gone. She meets people like her who become the Paladins but a question remains. Will she be able to help them defeat Zarkon?
1. Chapter 1

A little girl of the tender age of 10 cried as she fled from enemy warriors. Her rust colored hair whipped her face and her wide violet eyes were wide with fear. Her raggedy clothing burned at her skin, lasers being shot from her pursuers guns and nicking her arms and legs. The landscape around her was smoldering, remnants of a wildfire evident.

She sobbed and cried out as she tripped on a loose rock and crashed to the ground. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, summoning power from deep within her. Her skin glittered with almost crystal-like luminescent scales before they disappeared in a flurry of particles.

"Mama!" She wailed, tears streaming down her face.

"Mama where are you?! Why did you leave me!" She cried out as she covered her head and neck with her arms. Her body was pelted by bullets, her power doing little for protection.

There was running footsteps and a yell before the shooting stopped, there was the sound of a sword slicing through the air. There was several sounds of grunts and then thuds before it went silent. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she screamed, scrambling away before turning to see those who had touched her.

There were two people, both weird looking and both staring at her. The only remotely human looking one had darker skin and blue eyes with white hair. He crouched in front of her. He had strange markings under his eyes and his hair was pulled back. He wielded a sword in one hand and his other was extended to her.

The other was another male with purple skin and yellow eyes. He wielded a glowing mace and was covered in deep red armor. He looked more reptilian, almost like a turtle.

"D-don't hurt me! Please!" The girl cried out in fear, recoiling from the shorter man's hand. He smiled warmly,

"We won't harm you little one. We are here to help." He said quietly and she slowly stopped shaking, looking up through the tears in her eyes.

"My name is Alfor, king of the planet Altea. This is my comrade Emperor Zarkon of planet Daibazaal." He gestured first to himself then he large purple man.

"What is your name small one?" Zarkon asked, his voice

"M-Mae To-Topaz…" she mumbled and rubbed at her face, wiping away her tears.

"What are you doing here Mae? This place is supposed to be evacuated and abandoned." Alfor asked gently and reached his hand out again, this time she took it.

"I-I- I was looking for my mama….. she disappeared and left me…" Mae whimpered and followed Alfor, sticking close and holding onto his cape and hand.

"What does she look like? Perhaps we could find her." Alfor offered and she shook her head.

"Umm… she's really big, and covered in crystal scales, she has really big wings and lots of sharp teeth. Oh! And she has really sharp horns!" She said, remembering what her mother looked like. She was a dragon, a Crystal Dragon to be exact.

Alfor and Zarkon both looked slightly confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"She's a Crystal Dragon! We were supposed to be training when she just disappeared." Mae's bottom lip trembled and she looked around with wide eyes.

"Small one, perhaps you hit your head? Dragons do not exist-"

"But she does exist! She trained me!" Mae stomped on the ground in frustration and a pillar of crystal exploded from the ground, soaring to 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide and coming to a sharp point.

The two men jumped back in shock and she herself jumped. She hadn't been expecting that, her magic must have been on the flux. She refused to look at them, cowering under their gaze.

"Was that you?" Alfor asked gently and she nodded hesitantly.

"My Mama taught me Dragon Slaying Magic. She said she had to teach me to keep me safe." She mumbled and tugged on her hair. Alfor seemed curious, Zarkon looked skeptical. But Alfor offered to take her in, to raise her as best he could until they found her mother.

"I have a daughter of my own, her name is Allura. She's only 4 years old and I'm sure she'll love you." He said, taking her aboard his ship, a massive red lion robot.

She sniffled and nodded, they could help her right? In the meantime she would get to know this Allura. She liked little kids and she was almost positive she would be able to get along. It would be easy, right?

….

*timeskip*

Mae was totally wrong, Allura absolutely despised her. From their first meeting, Allura seemed to quickly detest the older girl. She would pick fights and argue as much as possible as she got older. She had heard the young princess talking with her mother one night, asking why Mae was there, asking why she couldn't go back to her own parents, and so on.

It was hard, getting over the fact that her mother Almas had disappeared and left her on her own. She coped by distancing herself from everyone. She would really only associate herself with Alfor (she liked him the best) and occasionally the other Paladins.

At 17 years old she was already an accomplished Mage and warrior. At her and Alfor's insistence, she was put through extensive training to test the limits of her magic. She grew to have mastery over her Crystal Dragon Slaying Magic, using it to become well admired amongst Altea and even some other planets.

She supposed that was another reason why Allura hated her. She was reserved and didn't talk much yet she was well-liked among many. When Mae was younger, Allura would pick on her, the jealous princess taking her anger out on the timid girl.

Alfor didn't know until the two of them were much older, Mae hiding the fact as she was convinced she would be called a crybaby for being bullied by someone 6 years younger. She didn't want Alfor to get mad at Allura and make her hate Mae more. But when Alfor did find out, he sat them both down, explaining that they were sisters, that they should love each other. Though later his talk did nothing to lessen Allura's hate, though Mae tried her hardest.

Their relationship didn't get better, even when Mae lost her left leg at the knee down and her right arm from the shoulder down from a horrible accident. Allura refused to help her whatsoever, but she didn't bully her so it was a small step forward. But when Mae received her prosthetics, she ignored her completely. It seemed as if she would

….

Explosions rocked the castle, Mae held onto the wall to make sure she didn't fall to the ground. She stumbled to where she knew her adopted father was.

"-we must form Voltron!" Came Allura's voice. Mae nearly fell over into the room just in time to see Alfor catch an unconscious Allura.

"Dad? What are you doing?" She asked nervously but nonetheless, assisted her adopted father in moving the unconscious princess to a cryopod.

"I must put you both in cryopods. It is for your own safety. Mae I need you to understand, Zarkon will overrun the castle. We cannot form Voltron any longer, I've sent the lions far away out of his reach." Alfor explained and readied the next pod for her. She spotted Coran sinking into the floor in his own cryopod.

"But-"

"Mae we don't have much time. Please understand that this is for your own safety." Alfor put his hands on the 24-year-old and cupped her cheek with one hand.

"But Dad, you're leaving me! I don't want to be left alone again! I don't know when I'll wake up! When we wake up, I have to take care of Allura! She hates me, you know that! She'll blame me for-" he cut her off by hugging her tightly.

"You are strong Mae. Stronger than you know. As my eldest child, I need you to be strong for Allura and Coran. I need you to be there for them both." He pleaded and when she saw the desperate protectiveness she finally relented.

"A-alright Dad…. I'll do it…" she said quietly, hugging him back and breathing in the familiar, calming scent.

"Goodbye Mae. Don't forget that I love you."

"I love you too Daddy, goodbye." She sniffled, stepping into the cryopod and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead one last time and stepped away. She pressed her hand to the glass as it fogged over and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

* ** _this is a flashback chapter*_**

"Mama! Mama look at what I did!" A tiny 6 year old Mae stumbled through the tunnels of her home. She scampered into the main cavern where her adopted mother Almas; the Crystal Dragon, resided.

All the caverns were huge, but this one was just plain massive. It soared above the Crystal Dragon and glittered with large outcroppings of crystal and gems. Glowing light refracted off of crystal fragments and in the center of the room lay Almas.

She was made completely of crystal. She radiated power, her curved horns catching light and her wings rustling as she shifted. Her talons dug into the stone floor as if it was warm butter.

Almas looked intimidating, but she was kind. She taught Mae her magic and she raised her to be the best she could be. She was harsh at times but not unkind. She pushed Mae to better herself, and to push her limits.

Almas opened her eyes and raised her head to stare down her daughter. She rested her arms in front of her and allowed the tiny girl to step into her palm so she could be raised to eye level.

Mae skittered to a stop and panted as she grinned excitedly, hopping onto her mother's palm.

"Mama! Look at what I can do!" She chirped and closed her eyes, clenching her fists as she concentrated. Glimmering scales covered her body slowly and her fingers sharpened to talons. She held this for a good 20 seconds before the scales dissolved in a flurry of magic particles and she relaxed, panting and had a tired grin on her face.

"You've been practicing Mae. Very good." Almas rumbled with pride, her voice having an almost metallic ring to it. Mae giggled in delight as Almas gently ran her taloned thumb across her daughters head and ruffled her hair.

"You still have a lot of work to do but I know you can do it. I know you will succeed."

….

"Mama? Where are we going?" 7 year old Mae asked with a slight lisp. She trotted along, eventually grasping ahold of the end of Almas's tail and hoisting herself onto it so she didn't have to walk. Her mother let out a rumble of laughter and came to a stop in a darkened cavern.

"Patience little Mae. You'll find out soon enough."

Mae whimpered as they were shrouded in darkness. She clambered up her mother's spine like a monkey until she rested between her horns and was far off the ground. Almas opened her jaws and let loose a massive blast of power, blowing Mae's hair out of her face and she had to duck down to avoid being blown off.

The roar echoed loudly, hurting her sensitive ears and when it died down she looked up, her breath leaving her body in an astonished gasp.

The cavern was glowing with magic power and sparkled like….. like stars. Mae had never seen stars but from the limited education she had, this was what it seemed like.

"To use your power and not destroy. Is what I yearn to teach you. Dragon Slaying magic is powerful, but it is also gentle and can be used in beautiful ways. That is why I am showing you this." Almas said warmly. She raised her taloned palm so Mae could hop onto it and look at her mother face to face.

"So I could do that right Mama?"

"Yes Mae, with enough practice you can do anything you set your mind too."

….

Mae was 8 year old. She stood in a darkened chamber with Almas behind her. She glittered like stars as she nudged her daughter forward.

"Try again Mae." She said and Mae nodded determinedly. She closed her eyes and inhaled, summoning the now familiar magic within her. She took a deeper breath and released her magic.

" _ **Crystal Dragon ROAR!**_ " She screamed and allowed the magic to manifest in a blinding beam of light and a torrent of crystal to explode from her mouth.

The roar echoed throughout the cavern and her blast of magic lit up the place in an almost blinding matter. It shredded through walls of rock and when it died down it exploded. Mae let out a whoop and jumped up into the air, pumping her fists in excitement.

"Mama I did it!" She cheered gleefully and Almas chuckled.

"Yes you did my child, yes you did…."

….

A 9-year-old Mae hummed happily as she chewed on chunks of crystal. She swallowed and put another chunk into her mouth, chewing it like crackers. She held several in her arms and trotted along the worn path of her underground home.

Luminescent underground moss and mushrooms lit the way and she collected several more large chunks of crystal, storing them in her ratty and torn shorts pockets. Her feet were coated in dust and she kicked up extra dust and pebbles.

"Mama! I found food!" She chirped but came to a stop as she spotted her sleeping mother in the cavern. She tiptoed up to the large dragon, quietly setting down her snacks and crawling under her wing to take a nap as well.

She rested herself on the ground near her stomach and curled up with her back against her mother's stomach, upright and relaxed. Tucking her fists under her chin, she brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes.

Within minutes, Mae Topaz was asleep, content and with a smile upon her face as she slept.

….

Mae panted as she followed her mother throughout the caverns of their home. She had turned 10-years-old, and as a present, Almas was taking her up to the surface for the first time. She jumped occasionally, leaping over rocks and diving between her mother's legs in excitement. Almas chuckled in amusement and had to watch to make sure she didn't accidentally step on her.

They climbed up, Almas having to actually spread her wings and give a massive leap to make it to the giant opening that would lead to the surface. Her wings beat easily against the downdraft and Mae was holding tightly to her mother's back.

They broke the surface and Mae gasped, momentarily blinded by the brightness of the surface. When she opened her eyes, it was as if her breath was taken away. It was so colorful, so **_blue_**. Was this what normal humans saw? If so this was all she wanted to see for the rest of time. What she didn't know, was what she wanted, would come true in a matter of hours when she would be left alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Mae Topaz awoke abruptly when the hiss of her cryopod disturbed her from her sleep. She was disoriented, unsure of where she was. She heard muffled voices and then someone tapped on her cryopod. It flew open with a hiss and she gasped, fresh air hitting her lungs and her knees buckled.

There was a shout of surprise before strong arms caught her under her arms and kept her from falling to the ground in a heap. They were warm…. so warm and comforting that she felt as if she could relax. Was it King Alfor?But she was glad she had been wearing her armor, as it automatically adjusted to the sudden change in temperature and acclimated her body so she would experience as little temperature shock as possible.

Her armor was special, insanely thin yet still strong enough to withstand direct blows from heavy weapons and artillery. It allowed for maximum usage of her magic yet didn't hinder her in any way. Alfor had watched her in combat and designed the armor for her himself, giving it to her when she graduated from the Academy of Combat on Altea ( _completely made up_ ). It wasn't bulky, the armor itself being sleek and white with purple accents. She had a scabbard at her side where a twin dual short swords would normally lay ( _if she ever carried them that is_ ) and her gauntlets were thin to allow for her usage of magic. She refused any sort of helmet, claiming it hindered her vision rather than helped her.

Mae slowly opened her eyes and was met with a well muscled chest. She immediately gathered her feet under her and stumbled away, her magic readying itself for a fight. She was met with five unfamiliar faces and an empty control room.

She recognized Allura and Coran, grateful to see them at least. Even if Allura was glaring daggers already but it wasn't as harsh as normal, she must've been glad to not be completely alone.

"AGH ENEMY COMBATANTS!" She heard Coran fall to the floor with a thump and whirled to look at her friend.

"Quiznak! You're lucky I have a case of the old "sleep chamber knees." Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this, wrap you up like so - and one, two, three; sleepy time!" He demonstrated what he would do to a tan looking boy in his late teens. The boy himself looked confused, but confident as he replied.

"Well before you did that I'd hua! Ha! Hiya! Like that." He replied, he sounded nice enough but Mae tuned out the rest of their exchange as she turned to inspect the rest of the newcomers.

The one who she assumed caught her, was around her age, though taller and well built. He had a shock of white hair in front with the rest being black. His eyes were dark, calculating and the eyes of a leader. He wore mostly black and she spotted a prosthetic in place of his right arm, much like her own. His eyes were darting around the room as if analyzing everything. He seemed wary of her, eyes narrowed as he took in her armored appearance.

The next boy was in his late teens, dark brown hair styled in a mullet and dark violet eyes narrowed. He had a red jacket, dark shirt and pants, and red boots. He had his arms crossed, a dagger at his waist. He had the look of an experienced fighter, one who demanded to not be taken lightly.

There was another boy who was also quite tall, he had dark skin and dark brown hair. He wore a yellow shirt with a dark green vest over it and tan trousers. He looked confused, wary, and scared, even though he was the largest in the room and one of the most intimidating.

The last unfamiliar face confused Mae. They looked like a boy, but Mae's nose told her it was a girl. She went with female for the time being. Her hair was cut short and a rich caramel color with matching eyes. She wore a green and white top, gray shorts and orange ankle boots. She was more interested in the technology Allura was operating than the other people in the room.

"-been asleep for 10,000 years!" Allura's comment froze Mae to the core as she was snapped from her analysis. Her blood ran cold at those words and she felt like time stopped.

"Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization…." Allura was shaking now, whether from anger, fear, or both, Mae didn't know. Her fists shook as Allura started speaking again.

"Zarkon…."

The man in black gasped,

"Zarkon?" He demanded, confused and maybe a little disoriented. Mae stepped in, ignoring the cold glance from Allura. All of the new comers looked to her, cautious of her behavior.

"He was the King of the Galra-"

"A vile creature and enemy to all free people." Allura snapped, cutting the older girl off and as tense as a board. Mae raised an eyebrow but stepped off to the side to Coran's side, giving the man a hug and welcoming his warm presence.

The man in black looked slightly more uneasy as he replied.

"I remember now… I was his prisoner." Mae blinked in surprise, stepping away from the hug to turn and face the new people.

"That's not possible, it's been 10,000 years. How can he still be alive?" She now demanded, feeling her magic power crystallizing around her left hand.

"I can't explain it, but it's true. He's searching for a super weapon called Voltron." He said and Mae was worried Allura would completely snap, she was biting her lower lip so it nearly bled.

"He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him, and that's exactly why we must find it before he does." She snarled out and Mae remembered her adopted father's words.

" _You are strong Mae. Stronger than you know. As my eldest child, I need you to be strong for Allura and Coran. I need you to be there for them both._ "

….

Mae stood on the sidelines as she watched Coran try and persuade Allura to eat.

"Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years…" he coaxed and Allura shook her head,

"I'm not hungry…" she said sadly, all anger seemingly gone. Mae pursed her lips, tempted to try and persuade the young princess but decided it was best to not intervene.

"Man, 10,000 years? That's like, one thousand plus 10!" The tan boy, Lance as she came to know him, said and she hid a smile.

"That's… times ten…" the boy in red; Keith if she remembered correctly, corrected.

"Whatever dropout." Mae could gather from their brief conversation that they did not have a good relationship.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving!" The boy named Hunk whined a little and the girl in green shrugged,

"Yeah, but you've thrown up like, five times…"

"Hmm, good point."

Mae trailed her fingers along the dashboard of the castle, memories of fiddling with it and messing things up running through her head as the man with the prosthetic; Shiro, commented on the technology. Mice were discovered in Allura's cryopod, giving the white haired girl some form of comfort.

….

Red alarms screamed out, grating on Mae's ears and making her clasp her hands over her pointed ears.

"A Galra battleship has set its tracker on us!" Coran shrieked and Mae winced at the loud noise.

"How did they find us?!" Allura demanded and Mae had to resist the urge to just shut off the alarms.

"I'm not sure but I bet it's Keith's fault." Lance crossed his arms as the boy in red replied.

"Say whatever you've got to say to make yourself feel better. After getting us stuck on the other side of a wormhole!"

"I'll stick YOU in a wormhole!" Mae's patience snapped and she cut off Shiro's next words.

"Oh for Fiore's sake, will you all shut up?! Now isn't the appropriate time for arguing!" She snapped and they shut up, looking not at all ashamed.

"How long until they get here?"

"At their speed? Oh, well, carry the two…. I'd say a couple of days." Mae breathed a heavy sigh of relief but that relief was short lived as Allura spoke with such conviction, it was as if Mae was looking at herself.

"Good. Let them come! By the time they get here, you five will have reformed Voltron, and together we will destroy Zarkon's Empire!"

….

"King Alfor connected the Lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the Lion's whereabouts." Coran explained and Mae leaned against a nearby wall, eyes closed and arms crossed. She heard the gasps of surprise as Allura powered up the Castle and the holograms of stars scattered around the room.

"These are coordinates! The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion!" Pidge seemed fascinated and as Allura went on to explain, Mae had had enough. She needed time to herself and she needed to sort everything out. They would need her later but she was going to get it, whether people wanted to comply or not.

….

Shiro watched as the woman, he didn't know her name, left the massive room. Princess Allura had just assigned them to their respective Lions and once the Red Lion was mentioned, the woman had all but stormed out of the room, looking angry and upset.

When Shiro had first met her, he had to catch her once the cryopod opened up and she collapsed. She was at least his age, if not a year younger. Her hair was the color of flaming fire and her eyes a deep purple. Her armor indicated she was some type of warrior, a scar stretching up the left side of her neck and onto her face showed that she had had her fair share of battles. He couldn't deny that she was pretty, looking the closest to a human out of the three Alteans.

"Um.. Is that chick okay?" Lance asked, everyone going quiet once they noticed she had left.

"That is Mae Topaz, eldest child of King Alfor and one of the Captains of the Royal Guard of Altea. The concept of Voltron has always been a….. Sensitive topic for her." Coran explained, looking at the closed door with an almost regret filled expression. Princess Allura looked like she couldn't care less, she had looked less than happy when she had found that Mae was alive. Judging by their interactions, Shiro figured that their relationship was less than pleasant.

But he couldn't help but be drawn to her, the fact that she was so intriguing and mysterious was fascinating and he wanted to know more about her. If she and Allura were siblings why did they look so different? Maybe half-siblings? Was Mae adopted? He wanted to know more.

….

Mae wandered the castle corridors until she heard the sounds of ships being launched. It seemed like they were going after the Lions. She leaned against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position with her arms on her knees and her head leaning back against the wall. She felt like her world had been destroyed when she figured out that Alfor was dead and Altea destroyed.

Her eyes closed as she simply allowed her body to try and relax. It didn't do much and she started to cry. She had been abandoned by her mother, lost two of her limbs, lost her father, and now her whole world. Her tears didn't stop and she didn't stop them. Her muffled cries echoed down the empty corridors of the castle.

By the time the humans had returned, she had stopped her tears and vowed not to cry any more. She had to be strong now, she had promised Alfor that she would be strong for Allura and Coran. And a Dragon Slayer _**never**_ broke their promises.

...

 **Sorry I'm splitting the first episode into two or three parts! I don't have tons of time to write now and I don't want you guys to have to wait for so long! Plus the computer I have is older than the dinosaurs and as slow as a snail in traffic. Anyway! Thanks for reading!**

 **Please favorite, comment, and follow!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	4. Chapter 4

"Boys, it's to suit up!" Mae showed to a stop outside the Paladin's designated armory, her sensitive hearing picking up on Shiro's voice. She deduced the humans were dressing in the armor and figured that Allura had been firm in her decision to make them the new Paladins of Voltron. The door slid open before her just as Allura was explaining everything.

"The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It takes a distinct shape for each paladin." She said as each human took their designated weapon. Lance took notice as she stepped into the room.

"Hey! Mae Topaz right? Aren't these awesome?!" He exclaimed as he showed off his Bayard that took the form of a long-ranged gun. All eyes were on her. Allura looked less than happy to see her older sister but Coran looked relieved that she was alright after storming off.

"Quite impressive. I wish you luck in handling the Bayards and the Lions." Mae said with a small smile, dipping her head in greeting as she did so. Lance seemed excited, bragging to Keith that " _See she thinks it's cool!_ " Or something along those lines. She nodded in approval after inspecting each of the Paladins with a critical eye, hiding a laugh as Pidge shocked Lance with her Bayard.

"They seem to be taking to the armor and Bayards easily enough, that's good." She said and Allura glared,

"Of course they did, I gave them their lions after all." She all but snapped and Mae raised an eyebrow.

Allura's personality did a 180 twist as she turned back to the new Paladins of Voltron.

"Shiro, I'm afraid your Bayard was lost with its Paladin." She said, tone softer than it had been with Mae. The man clenched his right hand, looking slightly confused at her quick personality change.

"I guess I'll just have to make do."

After a pause, Allura spoke again.

"You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak's ship."

"That's a pretty big ship. How are we gonna know where the Red Lion is?" Keith asked, unsure and maybe a bit nervous. It was understandable, Mae was completely frazzled and a royal mess when she had first been taken to Altea.

"Well it's not a matter of "We". It's a matter of "You"." Pidge said, Hunk piping in afterwards,

"Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and like track it down."

"Yeah. You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert?" Lance quipped, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. You made fun of me for that." Keith replied.

"And I'm proud of that, but turns out it's exactly like that mumbo-jumbo."

Mae took that moment to step in before it escalated to an argument.

"If you need help, I can help you track down the Red Lion." She said and again all eyes turned to her so she took the moment to elaborate.

"I'm a Captain of the Royal Guard of Altea so I can offer protection until you are all proficient with your weapons, this is a huge risk in going to retrieve the Red Lion so soon after receiving your weapons. As for tracking down the Red Lion, I have an extremely enhanced sense of smell. I can track it via scent." She explained, hands on her hips as she did so.

"They will be fine on their own." Allura attempted to take control of the situation and argue but when Mae turned a withering gaze onto her, she wilted.

"You don't know what kind of combat experience they have. They've never fought the Galra as far as you know. This isn't up for argument _Princess_." Her tone on the word princess indicated there would be absolutely no arguing.

Mae could feel the glare from Allura as she adjusted the straps of her armor and prepared to board the Green Lion. She found a helmet that was still intact and functional, braiding her hair up around her head and slipping the helmet over her cranium. She dreaded boarding the green beast, her motion sickness would most definitely act up and it would not be pleasant, she could feel it.

"Thank you again Captain, you'll be a lot of help." Shiro approached her as she made sure everything was in place. He extended his right hand– his prosthetic hand– she took it in her own prosthetic hand and gave it a firm shake.

"It's my pleasure. And please, Mae will do just fine." She said, smiling slightly to seem friendly. He let a small smile grow on his lips as he returned the gesture.

"Can I ask what weapon you use? I don't see any on your person." He asked after a moment and Mae stopped to think.

"It's a bit complicated, but it's better to show you all." She said and open and closed her hands, summoning her magic and letting it crystallize into crystal dual wielding swords. She chuckled at the shocked looks of the new Paladins and sheathed it at the scabbard at her waist, it felt good to use her magic after so long.

She regretted everything once the lion took off. She was using a small handle on the wall of the Green Lion to brace herself and had the other clamped firmly over her mouth as the world around her seemed to spin. She felt nauseous, it had been so long since she had felt any sort of motion sickness; it was usually cured by a magic charm Alfor created, and now it was back for her with a vengeance.

Luckily, none of them noticed her misfortune. They made it onto the ship easily enough and she acted as watchout as there was a change of plans and Shiro went with Pidge, leaving her with Keith. He took off at a sprint, She jogged behind him, keeping pace relatively easily. They wandered the halls, Mae growing tenser and tenser as Keith grew more and more frustrated. The new red Paladin groaned in frustration,

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He shouted and she glanced around warily for

"Patience Keith. Getting upset will get you nowhere." She coaxed and laid a hand on his shoulder as he panted heavily. He nodded,

"Patience yields focus." He murmured under his breath, closing his eyes as he allowed his heart rate to slow. After a moment he opened his eyes,

"Gotcha."

She followed his lead, and her nose, leading them through some tricky hallways. They came to a door, it was massive, thick, had top notch security systems, and obviously held something behind it but it was too thick for Keith's or her swords to cut through. She grumbled under her breath as Keith tried again in vain to cut through it. Then she had an idea, her magic could cut through this right?

"Stand back Keith." She instructed as she felt her magic bubble up inside her, excited at the chance to be used after 10,000 years.

"Why? What are you going to do?" He asked warily but didn't do as she asked.

"Something crazy, I don't need you to get shredded by this." She said as she widened her stance enough so she wouldn't be blown away. He stood slightly behind her as she readied herself.

"Right… Here I go…" She inhaled, the back of her throat beginning to glow.

….

Keith looked warily to Mae Topaz as she widened her stance and inhaled. His eyes widened as the back of her throat began to glow with a bright white light with hints of blue and purple wisps escaping past her mouth. Just what was she doing?

That was revealed when she seemed to hold her breath,

" _ **Crystal Dragon… ROOOOOAAAAR!**_ " She all but screamed, her voice sounding amplified and a beam of pure white light exploded from her mouth and he had to dive out of the way to avoid being turned into dust, rolling to cover his head from the gusts of wind tearing through the air from the attack. He had his eyes closed tightly, the light was so blinding it hurt.

The beam hit the door, crystal shards shredding the near impenetrable metal as if it were water-soaked paper. The door groaned on its hinges and actually teetered from its hinges and fell with an ear-deafening clang.

Abruptly the attack stopped, the light disappearing and Keith opened his eyes, blinking away the spots of color as he stared in shock at Mae Topaz. She stood in the same stance, her hands cupped around her mouth and panting slightly. She grinned and he realized that her teeth were slightly pointed, her canines being more prominently pointed than the rest. Just what kind of power was this? And what was Mae Topaz exactly?

….

Shiro and Pidge watched as the rescued prisoners escaped using the pods. They were about to turn and leave when they heard a room-shaking bang echo throughout the ship.

"What the Crow was that?!" Pidge demanded and Shiro shook his head, unsure and worried. Whatever it was it sounded big and it powerful.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it sounds dangerous. We have to meet up with Keith at the castle once he retrieves the Red Lion. Let's go!"

….

After Keith recovered from the shock of seeing Mae obliterate the door, she followed him inside, watching out carefully for guards. Her roar attracted a lot of attention and she knew it was only a matter of time before Galra soldiers stormed the room.

"Bingo. Let's get out of here. Open up." Keith said as he placed his hand over the protective force field around the lion. Mae grimaced, she wanted to tell him that he was doing it wrong, and that the lion wasn't going to react but she knew he had to figure it out himself.

Keith kept talking to the lion as Galra soldiers flooded the room, just as Mae expected.

"Hey! Come on! We're connected!" Keith shouted as lazers pelted down on his shield and Mae created one of her own to keep the soldiers off of her until she could get in close.

"Mae! Can't you do one of those roar things again?" Keith shouted over the gunfire and she grunted as a bullet skimmed her prosthetic leg.

"I would if I didn't care so much about staying alive! So no I can't exactly right now! Not unless you want us to be sucked out into space!" She shouted back and gave a shout of surprise as the soldiers seemed to focus on her and put all their power into taking down her shield. Luckily, it didn't crack, but she knew she'd wake up with some wicked bruises if she wasn't careful.

"Sucked out into space? That's it! Mae! Put on your helmet!" He muttered and shouted the last sentence as he activated his own helmet. Mae disintegrated her shield in a flurry of particles and shoved her helmet onto her head, using her magic to create the Crystal Scales all over her body and act as a more personal shield.

"Whatever you're doing do it now!" She shouted at him, rushing forward and encasing her fists in solid crystal, punching through the Galra robots. There was a sucking sensation and suddenly, Mae was thrown off her feet and sucked out into space.

She let out a scream as she felt weightless. She absolutely LOATHED this feeling. It made her feel so powerless and as if she couldn't do anything to regain control. She spotted Keith and could sense his near panic. She reached out and very nearly managed to grasp his arm when she heard a roar coming from the ship with her enhanced hearing. All of a sudden, they were swallowed up by the Red Lion.

...

 **One more part before this episode is done! I'm purposely doing shorter chapters so I can get them out quicker or else each chapter would take months to write because school, work, and family life is starting to become hectic.**

 **But what do you think about the chapter? Please tell me in the comments!**

 **Merry early Christmas!**

 **Please like, comment, and follow!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I've decided to do something new with all my stories! Comment Review Time! This makes it easier for me to be able to reply to all of your lovely comments and answer any questions you and others might have! These will be comments from Quotev, FanFiction, Wattpad, and Archive of our Own since all my stories are posted on all those sites! So without further ado; here's Comment Review Time!:**

 **bettafish from Quotev: Thank you so much! I am so glad you are liking this story so far!**

 **아만** **from Quotev: It is kind of confusing considering that the main Fairy Tail characters aren't in this but I hope you like it anyway!**

 **AquaTheWolf from Quotev: I will definitely try my best!**

 **Awesomeness3013 from : I absolutely love the relationship between Allura and Mae because it's a source of drama. I'm so glad you find it so interesting!**

 **WhiteWolf815 from : I'm really hoping to keep the updating of this story consistent which should be slightly easier now that I've gotten past writing the first episode! I hope I can keep living up to your expectations!**

 **ChimaTigon from : You know, I've actually considered it but considering that all the main Fairy Tail characters would be dead (Fairy Tail happened during the 10,000 years while she was asleep), I really don't see the point. Sorry to disappoint!**

 **Gemini-0608 from : Agh thank you so much! I'll sure try my best to keep posting good-quality chapters!**

….

Mae stumbled off of the Red Lion, nearly throwing up as her feet came onto solid ground.

"Remind me to never fly with you again." She grumbled under her breath, partly to the Red Lion and partly to Keith. Said boy merely glanced at her, eyes scanning over her quickly before seeming to have realized something.

"Do you have motion sickness?" He asked and when she nodded, he merely nodded in acceptance.

"I have something to ask-"

"You guys made it back!" Lance crowed, interrupting Keith, as he and the rest of the team came into the Bay. Hunk took notice of Mae's pale complexion and she honestly probably looked almost green.

"Hey Mae, are you alright?" He asked as Shiro went to commend Keith for his work with retrieving the lion. She took a deep breath,

"I'm fine, just a little motion sick." She said as she stood up straight.

Shiro stood in front of the massive doors that lead to the Black Lion. Mae stood in the control room next to Allura and Coran, she couldn't help but be a little nervous. What if it didn't work? She chewed on her lip as the door slowly opened before the Black Paladin. The Black Lion was as majestic as she remembered. It stood on all fours and gave a bone shuddering roar, rattling her to her core. The other lions joined in and she was reminded why Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the Universe.

Their happy moment was broken by the alarms screaming and flashing red.

"Huh?

"Oh Quiznak!"

"Sendak is entering the Arusian atmosphere! Paladins we need Voltron now!" Mae snapped and gripped the console, hand shooting out and grasping Allura's bicep to keep her from falling. The Princess wrenched her arm away but nearly fell over again as the castle rocked with the force of the blast. The particle barrier was activated and the Paladins boarded their Lions.

( **QUICK NOTE: SOME CHANGED TO THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT WERE MADE TO MAKE ROOM FOR MAE** )

Mae grit her teeth, as powerful as her magic was, she couldn't take down an entire ship by herself, especially with the Ion Cannon being fully functional. She felt so helpless, especially when watching the Paladins struggle to even figure out how to form Voltron.

"Mae can't you do that roar thing you did earlier?! It worked on the door on the ship!" Keith yelled through his mic and she ignored Allura's and Coran's looks of confusion,

"No can do kiddo, my roar may be powerful, but it won't do jack crap against a fully functional Ion Cannon. You guys have to do this." She said through the microphone, baring her teeth in anger at herself.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!" Lance shouted and Mae looked up in surprise, had they done it? No they couldn't have, they would've been more vocal about it.

"I do too. I feel it. It's like we're being pulled in the same direction!" Hunk sounded panicked,

"Uh, guys, I think I know why. Look up." Shiro said and Mae did as he said, swearing out loud as she realized that they were being sucked into the ship with the tractor beam. She let out a swear as she turned and sprinted from the room.

"Mae?! Where are you going?! What are you doing?!" Coran yelped as she skidded around the corner of the door, shoving her helmet on her head as she did so as to keep the conversation up to date.

"Something incredibly stupid! Keep up the particle barrier!" She shouted behind her, sprinting through the castle, out the doors, and onto the battlefield.

Immediately she knew that it was a mistake but a mistake that she couldn't come back from. She summoned her magic, allowing it to crystallize around her as she saw blasts from the Galra zooming towards the castle. It had been so long since she had done something this huge and stupid, but she needed to buy Voltron some time. She gathered each and every bit of her available magic power and forced it out,

" _ **CRYSTAL DRAGON SHIELD!**_ " She roared and her magic took the effect she wanted. Crystal crept up the particle barrier and it covered a good chunk of the front, just as another blast from the Ion Cannon hit.

It hurt. Damn it hurt. It felt like she had dipped her hands into the fiery pits of Hell. It felt as if she would be blasted to dust. She held both hands in front of her as she braced herself as the blast seemed to never cease. She extended her prosthetic right hand beside her, this blast was draining more magic than she thought, but she had to take out the fighter ships,

"Mae?! Is that you?! What are you doing?!" It was Pidge, she was barely heard through the sound of the Ion blast trying to make its way through her defenses.

"Trying to buy you more time! Get to it!" She grunted back, sliding back a couple of feet as she forced more magic to form into a line of cannons, roughly 4 in all. They shot blasts at the fighters and drew their attention away from the struggling Paladins.

"Paladins you MUST form Voltron! The Particle Barrier won't hold up for much longer!" Allura pleaded

"I-I don't care what you say Shiro. I'm panicking now!" Hunk was screaming.

"It can't end here!"

"This is it!"

"It's been an honor flying with you boys."

"Oh no!" The other four were panicking and their panic only heightened as the Particle Barrier gave out and the full brunt of the Ion Cannon and the blasts lay on Mae's shoulders and her crystal shield. She continually reinforced it with magic but it was weakening and so was she. The fighters were damaging her cannons and she knew that she wouldn't last much longer.

"No! We can do this! We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope! Everyone is relying on us! Mae is down there risking her life to give us time! We _**can't**_ fail! We _**won't**_ fail! If we work together, we'll win _**together**_!" Mae chuckled a little at Shiro's words.

"Come on kiddos, the Lions chose you for a re- a reason! You guys- you guys can do this!" She grunted out, sweat pouring down her face and she gritted her teeth in pain as the force of the Ion blast started to strip the very skin of her arm and the top layer of her prosthetic arm.

"Trust in each other! Trust in Voltron! You guys got this!" She let out a pained but stubborn yell as she disintegrated her cannons to focus on protection of the castle.

"Mae's right! We can do this!" Shiro shouted,

"Yeah!" The others let out determined screams and their Lions joined in, eyes gleaming. There was a massive explosion and the Ion blast was cut off, throwing Mae back against the wall of the Castle. When the smoke cleared, Mae pushed herself into a painful sitting position, the breath leaving her chest in a whoosh as she gasped. It was Voltron.

"I can't believe it!"

"We formed Voltron!"

"I'm a leg!"

"How are we doing this?!"

"I don't know, but let's get that cannon!" Shiro ordered and Mae watched in pained awe as they took out the entire Galra ship and landed on the ground as the ship exploded in a fiery display.

Mae sighed in exhausted relief as she allowed the crystal barrier she had formed to disintegrate in a flurry of particles. She slumped back against the castle wall, panting heavily as sweat poured down her face. That had taken up so much more magic than she had expecting. The lions separated and landed, she stood as the Paladins left their respective Lions and she took off her helmet, shaking out her hair and grimacing at the sweat sticking to her face as she did so. Pidge immediately scampered over to her, eyes wide with exhilaration, curiosity, wonder, and excitement.

"That was AMAZING Mae! How did you do that?!" She demanded and Mae stood up slowly, hiding her arms behind her back. They didn't need to see the damage, she could heal it in the healing pods later.

"It's complicated, I'll tell you all once you've rested. That was a hard fight for you all."

"Good work, Paladins!" Allura said as she came out of the castle with Coran in tow. The Paladins seemed to sag in relief once they realized that the fight was over.

"Thanks pretty lady." Lance said and Mae hid a chuckle.

"We did it." Shiro exhaled in relief.

"Heck yeah, we did."

"How did we do it?"

"I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it." Hunk quipped and this time Mae did laugh, she was shifting her weight from foot to foot as she smiled at the new Paladins.

After a moment, Allura spoke again;

"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions." She said and Coran nodded,

"Good thing you paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again." He said, twirling his mustache and Mae laughed quietly at the Paladins expressions.

"Totally. Wait, what?" Hunk seemed panicked and worried, which was understandable.

"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time!" Lance said exasperated.

"And you all did fantastically. But you only had to fight a single ship." Mae said tiredly, standing up straight and walking closer.

"Sooner than later you will have to fight a whole fleet of Galra Ships. And we may not be able to provide the support you need. It won't be easy being the Defenders of the Universe." She said and offered an apologetic yet kind smile. Fiore knee they would need it. Shiro turned and looked up at the sky, the sunset painting it in soft shades of pinks, purples, oranges, and reds.

"Defenders of the Universe, huh? That's got a nice ring to it."

….

 **THE FIRST EPISODE IS DONE AND OVER WITH NOW! I CAN REST EASY!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! This story is officially my most popular one I've published! Holy crap I'm so happy all you lovely people love this so much! I hope you all have Happy Holidays!**

 **Please like, comment, and follow!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **WhiteWolf815 from FanFiction: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY YOUR COMMENT MAKES ME! This story was actually rewritten 2 or 3 times before this version was published! One of the drafts included Mae Topaz being based off of Qrow Branwen from the anime RWBY. She was a drunk. I'll admit that it was hilarious, she never met Allura or any of them until they came to the planet she was protecting. And I'll just say hilarity ensues ;)**

….

Mae woke early the next morning, her internal clock still used to waking in the barracks with her fellow soldiers, not that she'd sleep much anyways. She had been asleep for 10,000 years and she'd be damned if she missed out on anything else because of the necessity of sleep. She lay on her back for a moment and stared at the ceiling before sitting up and kicking her many blankets off, immediately making her bed afterwards. She always got cold at night, it was a miracle she never froze with Almas.

Her bedroom was incredibly plain. She only had a bed, a full body mirror, and a dresser. There were no decorations other than several books on a small shelf and a pot of soil with three crystal chunks growing from it. It had been a present from Alfor on her 14th birthday, a crystal that could grow as she fed magic into it. Other than that, her room was completely barren, no pictures or decorations. She saw no use in lavish decorations or furniture, after living in caves for the first 10 years of her life, it seemed pointless to spend money on furniture that'd be barely used. Mae stood in front of the mirror, having stripped from her night clothes down to her undergarments, and stared at her reflection.

Her body was lean and well built, calluses on her fingers from brutal training and constant battles. She had scars criss-crossing her torso and back, a particularly nasty scar starting on her left collarbone, stretching up the left side of her face, and ending just below her nose. The place where the metal of her prosthetics met the skin was also ravaged with massive scars.

She glanced to her flesh arm. The healing pods were out of commission until later that day so Coran could do some maintenance on them and make sure they were fully functional. For now she was stuck with applying healing cream and wrapping it in bandages. Her prosthetic right arm was also wrapped in bandages to keep all the parts from falling out. According to Coran, her left arm would definitely scar and her right might experience some failure until it could be fixed. She grimaced as she unwrapped her flesh arm and looked at the wound.

It was an angry red with blisters dotting up and down from her shoulder to her fingertips with the occasional pus pocket. Some parts looked bruised and purple, some parts were a mix of a bloody red and and dark pinks and purples. The Ion Cannon had stripped her of the first few layers of skin; almost down to the muscle, and she had spent most of the night changing bandages and staunching the excess bleeding. Coran was kind enough to stay up with her as she struggled with the bandages. She was given several pain killers and medicine to help expedite the healing until she could get in the healing pod.

Her right arm wasn't much better. The top of the arm had been blown off, exposing the inner workings of her metal prosthetic. Some of the inner wires and parts had been burned and ruined so badly that when she had first taken off the protective covering, smoke had poured from the arm itself. She had managed to clip some excess wires so they wouldn't poke out and had connected a few of the important ones so she could move her fingers normally enough. It wasn't too destroyed, okay it was very destroyed. But nothing she couldn't handle. She would have trouble moving her fingers and holding things until they could find a mechanic who knew about prosthetics and could fix it.

Mae rewrapped her arms with some difficulty and swallowed some painkillers dry before dressing in her armor undershirt which was a form fitting black turtleneck and tight pants tucked into boots. She had rummaged through armor when she had found the soldier's armory and found some more casual armor. She now was garbed in a simple white chestplate, shoulder guards, wrist guards, shin guards, and boots. Tugging on her gloves gently, she gave a couple of mock punches and kicks to the air to make sure her injuries wouldn't give her too much grief. Luckily the medicine did its job and she felt at 100%.

After she styled her hair out of her face in a braided crown around her head, she buckled her sword sheath at her side and left her room. She strode down the hall, sword sheath thumping against her leg. According to the clock, it was still very early in the morning, roughly 4:30 in the morning. The hallway with all the Paladins rooms was quiet but as she passed by one of the rooms, she heard something.

Cocking her head to the side, it sounded like armor rustling. Mae tapped on the door to open it and came face to face with Shiro. Of course he would be up, according to the other Paladins, he was a pilot of a mission to the moon Kerberos ( _she had no idea what or where Kerberos was but hey, she couldn't know everything_ ) before he was captured, he would be used to extremely early mornings.

"You're up early." She said with a slight teasing tone. He didn't stop in his push ups and glanced over.

"I could say he same to you. We have to be ready for when Zarkon attacks." He grunted and she gave a nod, mulling the thought over.

"Touché. But we'll be training more for sure today so don't overexert yourself." She cautioned and he stopped in his workout, getting to his feet slowly.

"I assure you I won't Commander." He said, setting his helmet aside and she chuckled,

"I told you already, just call me Mae. Commander makes me feel old." She said with a grin, he returned the smile hesitantly.

Suddenly the alarms screamed and lights flashed red.

"Everybody up! Zarkon's attacking!" Allura shouted over the loudspeakers; Mae and Shiro looked at each other briefly before they simultaneously ran towards the main control room. Mae nearly ran into both Keith and Hunk in their haste to get to the control room. She formed dual crystal swords just as she ran into the control room with four of the five Paladins behind her.

Nothing. No Galra ships, no bone shaking blasts, the alarms had even cut off. She narrowed her eyes as she sheathed her swords, it was a fake attack. She glanced out the windows just to be sure and turned back to Allura just as she spoke to the Paladins.

"-However long it was, it was too long. You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! Only Shiro is in uniform. Keith, Pidge, Hunk, where are your bayards? And where is Lance? Altean soldiers would have already been on the battlefield."

"Please don't lie about my soldiers _**Princess**_ , it's unbecoming." Mae started catching the attention of the room's occupants, more than a little ticked off, Allura didn't understand how the soldiers operated and it was an insult, even if she meant it as a compliment.

"Altean soldiers never stayed in their armor when off-duty or at rest. There were shifts. If they were called to arms, they were to dress in armor as quickly as possible. We had drills for this." She paused and tightened her fists.

"And there was never a call of false alarm. That could and would almost always result in execution orat the very least, expulsion and imprisonment, no matter who it was." She said as she rested her hand on the handle of her swords and narrowed her eyes. Allura glared,

"I never heard of any execution laws-"

"That's because no one ever called a false alarm! Laws were enforced by me and King Alfor himself. Even in death, his laws are to be enacted. That was a vow every soldier took. I _**wouldn't**_ try this again." She said sharply, the rest of the Paladins were quiet, Lance had come in at some point but looked confused.

"The soldiers are gone. Therefore that is null and void."

"I wouldn't say they are all gone. You forget I am the Commander and Captain of the Royal Forces of Altea. I still uphold his laws to the best of my ability. False alarms like this will _**not**_ happen again. If you want to test them allow me to run the drills seeing as I am the most fit to lead such things. False alarms could result in someone getting hurt." She said curtly and they all noticed the grip on her sword tighten just a little.

After the tense moment in the Control Room. Allura had stormed off and Coran allowed Mae to take over with training. She had instructed the Paladins to board in their Lions and prepare for some drills and intense training. She stood in front of the control panel with her arms crossed. With a weary sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose and turned back to Coran.

"Coran what am I doing wrong?"

"I'm not sure I understand Commander." He said gently as he readied the drill, testing the castle's defenses and trying to prompt the Paladins to form Voltron.

"Why does Allura hate me so much? I understand I was a bit harsh this morning. But she was insulting my troops who have now passed and I can't allow that. But even before that she has always detested me. Why does she hate me?" She asked, voice cracking. Coran was silent for a moment,

"I think…. I think it started when you first came to live with her when Alfor found you. She was no longer the center of attention which she grew up with. I think that started jealousy and eventually grew to hate." He said almost hesitantly and Mae was silent for a moment.

"Start the drills." Was all she said after the silence.

After failing the castle defenses and attack drill, she had the Paladins come inside to the training deck, giving Coran control over the next few drills. She quickly came to see one thing. The Paladins were not ready and horribly inexperienced. While it was to be expected, it was still disheartening.

They failed the nose dive test, they did okay with protecting each other until Lance started goading Keith on. They even failed with melding their minds to become one. She was beginning to see why Allura had called the false alarm. It at least got their asses into gear and worked. They were still sitting in a circle after their most recent failure as she strode from the upper watch area into the training ground.

"All of you up." She commanded and they scrambled to their feet,

"Normally I'd have you fight the Gladiator. But that's just a robot and is predictable after some time against it." She allowed her magic to crystallize along her right arm.

"But we barely survived the robots earlier!" Hunk objected uncertainty but yelped as she glared at him.

"Get ready because you're going to have to fight me."

She stood at one end of the room and the Paladins stood at the other. She had abandoned both swords in favor of a staff that was a little shorter than she was. When asked about it she shrugged,

"I'd rather not kill you all so I'm giving you a handicap of sorts." Was all she said. Coran buzzed over the speaker,

"Ready? Set? GO!"

The Paladins didn't move, waiting for her to make a move. They had whispered a bit but hadn't come up with a good enough plan, even she could tell that. She twirled her staff ( _imagine like Kylo Ren from Star Wars_ ) and held it in a one handed grip almost like a sword, her free hand forming a shield. That prompted Keith and Pidge to run forward together, both shouting a war cry as they attempted to get a hit on her. She ducked under their swipes into a squat and held up her shield, shoving upwards and throwing them away.

She spun on her heel, slicing downwards with her staff. It clanged loudly onto Lance's own shield who yelped and backpedaled. It was almost embarrassingly easy, she ducked and leaned, never once taking a step from her spot. The Paladins broke away for a moment, catching their breaths and Mae sighed.

"I still haven't moved a single step from my spot. This is rather disappointing." She spun her staff again and leaned on it.

"Huh? What?! Seriously?! Aw man Pidge let's go!" Lance leveled his rifle and his green friend nodded in confirmation. With a loud battle cry, they all charged Mae with their weapons ready and ready to fight.

All five Paladins lay sprawled on the floor, panting heavily and covered in sweat. Their weapons were discarded at their sides, forgotten in their exhaustion. Mae stood a few paces away, her staff disintegrated as she rolled her shoulders. Her pain medication was wearing off, she could feel the dull throbbing that would be accompanied by the burning sensation of her flesh arm and the ache that came with her prosthetic arm. She left the training deck, motioning for Coran to continue with the exercises.

Stumbling to the medbay, she ripped off her bandages with a pained hiss. She turned on the medical sink in the corner and ran her arm under it, sighing in pure bliss as relief flooded her system. She sank to her knees, the pain was almost like being hit with lightning. Her right arm was gripping the side of the sink, the metal of her fingers trembling. She was lucky the rescued prisoners were still healing, otherwise she'd have to deal with questioning about where and how she got her injuries. After a few minutes she slowly began to haul herself to her feet.

 _ ***POP***_

Her right arm suddenly went limp and she collapsed against the sink, the breath leaving her chest in a whoosh as she crashed her head against the corner of the sink before falling to the floor. She held her cranium with her burned left hand and let out a pained whine. She curled into the fetal position, eyes shut and teeth grinding against each other in an attempt to stop the spinning colors floating around her vision.

Her prosthetic arm was useless, laying at an awkward twisted position under her. It hurt, oh it hurt so badly. Her fingers didn't even twitch when she tried to wiggle them. It was broken, completely broken.

"What are you doing here?" Mae let out a quiet groan as she banged her forehead against the cool metal of the floor. It was Allura. With a shaking hand, Mae tried to push herself up, letting out a pained groan as she managed to get her feet under her. She was shaky on her feet and she clutched the sink edge for support but kept her back to the princess.

"Just- just need a little medical attention is all. You should check on the Paladins who knows what Coran will do without supervision." She rasped and walked slowly over to some of the medical cabinets, rifling through to find the supplies she needed. It wouldn't be the first time she had to give herself medical attention one handed, but that was another story for another time.

"Are you sick?" Allura asked, the door hissing shut behind her as she stepped inside. Mae found clean gauze along with burn medicine, a sling, pain medicine, and some other supplies she'd need.

"Just a little injured." She said as she tried to juggle the supplies to a medical table to begin working on herself. She sensed Allura come up behind her and heard a stifled gasp.

"The Ion Cannon did more damage than I thought yesterday. Now I have to deal with the consequences." She added afterwards and ripped open a package with gauze with her teeth.

She stopped for a full minute before frowning. Her right arm was useless, this rendering her completely useless.

"Dammit." She cursed under her breath, about to give up before a hand took the gauze from her and unwrapped it. It was Allura.

"What are you doing?" Mae asked in surprise, Allura shot a fiery glare.

"Father said I should help you any way that I can. I hate it. I hate you. But you are the Commander of the Royal Forces and our best fighter right now." Was all the younger girl said as she applied the burn cream with a warm hand.

That was the thing about the two of them, they were polar opposites. Allura was always the taller of the two of them and she always had warm hands. Mae was the shorter and always seemed to have freezing cold hands. While Allura was hot tempered but could be reasoned with, Mae was stubborn and a bit reckless at times but kept a cool head when she needed to. Allura was the less experienced fighter while Mae was the Commander of the Royal Forces.

"What do you mean Father said to help me in any way you can? He's dead." She ignored the 'I hate you' part favor of asking her question.

"Uh-" Allura looked panicked for a moment before she shook her head.

"Before he died." She said, Mae had the feeling she was lying but didn't say anything, she didn't need another argument when she was this helpless.

They continued in silence before Mae was able to get her right arm in a sling and take pain medication. Allura pivoted on her heel after Mae was taken care of and left the room. The Dragon Slayer stopped the Princess just before she left.

"Allura?" The white haired princess stopped but didn't turn around.

"Thank you." Mae said and Allura didn't say anything before she left the Dragon Slayer alone in the medbay with no one but the sleeping prisoners in the healing pods.

….

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This is my 'christmas present' to you all and I'm giving you all a HUGE thank you for reading this story!**

 **Yes I'm having Allura lie and not tell Mae about Alfor's AI, it makes for a lot of good drama in the future and I have a lot of fun stuff planned with that. ;)**

 **Agh don't you love the drama between the two? Cause I sure do! It's so much fun to write :)**

 **Anyways! Thanks for reading!**

 **Please favorite, comment, and follow!**

 **Please tell me what you think of this so far! I love to read any and all comments! (** _ **Except for mean ones of course :)**_ **)**

 **Until the next updates!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **Gray Deserves Better from Archive of our Own: The idea of Voltron going to Earthland is an interesting one as an AU. However, I have something similar? I have some pretty interesting ideas in mind! Some familiar characters might even make an appearance in later chapters ;)**

 **ChimaTigon from FanFiction: Not for a while, if that. Their relationship is complicated and you'll see in later chapters how it all pans out!**

 **dragon from Quotev: And there is much more drama to come! Especially in season 3 and 4! ;)**

 **WhiteWolf815 from FanFiction: The fact that you said 'excellent as always' made me almost cry in happiness. Like seriously thank you! As for the life and death thing… well you'll just have to wait and see! ;)**

….

 _*dreaming*_

 _It was dark. Why was it so dark? And cold too? Mae shivered, her breath coming out in white puffs as her teeth chattered together. She was laying on a cold, hard, unforgiving floor that was smooth like glass but felt like concrete. Where was she?_

 _Her armor seemed to be broken, her shoes and helmet missing. But when she looked at her body, all she could see was fog. Her surroundings were foggy, she couldn't even see 10 feet in front of her. The floor underneath was so soul-suckingly cold and made her feet go numb._

 _Her breath echoed in her ears as she pushed herself slowly to her feet._

 _"Hello? Is anyone here?" She called out, she could feel her body shaking with cold as she stumbled down the foggy corridors._

 _Crystals were growing along the floor, lighting her way as she tried to stay awake. Her helmet was lost and she couldn't remember where it was._

 _ **"It's in the wreckage my dear."**_

 _Mae froze and actually fell to the ground. She knew this voice, she knew the voice in her head,_

 _"Mom?!" She called out,_

 _"Mom is that you?! Where are you?!" Her voice was echoing uselessly off the stone walls as she pushed herself up into a run, blood pounding in her ears._

 _"_ _ **You have to turn back my dear child.. find your comrades."**_ _Came her mother's voice again, the metallic ring of it making her stop._

 _"What? No! You're so close I have to find you! Why did you leave me Mom?! Tell me how to find you!l Mae pleaded, stumbling over more crystals as she pushed herself into a run again._

 _"_ _ **My pearl, you turn back and find your comrades...**_ _" Almas said, using her nickname 'pearl' for which Mae was named._

 _"No! I can't turn back now! I'm so close to finding you! To seeing you again! I've been searching for you for years! It's been over 10,000 years since you left me!"_

 _ **"Child you must understand that it was done for a reason. A reason you don't yet understand. You aren't ready for this."**_

 _"Ready for what?! Mom tell me please!" She was almost crying, the kind of crying that had no tears but made her chest hurt._

 _The young woman saw a light at the end of the tunnel, pushing herself faster, her bare feet clanging against the stone floor._

 _"MOM!" She screamed as she came into the light, only to see-_

 _*end dream*_

"MOM!" Mae let out a shout as she shot up into a sitting position, kicking her blankets off in a haste to get to her feet.

Plain dresser, crystal plant in the corner, rumpled blankets; she was in her room. Sweat poured down her neck and back, making her hair stick to her face. She was shaking violently and when she looked in the mirror she was as pale as a ghost. Just what was that dream? Why was she hearing her mother's voice? Why now after all these years? How was she hearing her? Where was she in that dream?

Mae eventually gave up on trying to figure things out and got dressed, not even caring that it was 4 o'clock in the morning. She dressed again in her casual armor and headed to the kitchens.

If Mae was ever stressed or upset, she could be found in one of two places, the training deck or the kitchens. She was at the later location, getting her hands covered in flour as she baked to relieve her stress. She didn't know why, but the feeling of adding different ingredients to make one goal helped her relax. Currently she was mixing and kneading flour into bread dough one handed. It was an old recipe, older than she had been alive but one she loved.

An old Altean maid named Rosaline had taught it to her. Rosaline; or Rosie as Mae had called her, was the maid and servant that cared for Mae when she was still small, becoming almost like a grandmother to her. She had reminded Mae of Almas in a way, with her weathered wrinkled hands that were calloused from years of gardening, and her fantastic stories of ancient Altea.

The recipe itself was a simple one, a bread recipe that called for special herbs and Altean sugars and spices. But what made it special was that it always seemed to remind a person of home. To Mae it smelled of her home in the caves, of the sweet but musty mushrooms and the clear sharp taste of the underground pools. To Rosaline it smelled of roots in the gardens and the wood burning scent of her home village. There was no special spell or magic, but it just seemed to bring back memories of home.

Mae cracked her neck as she folded herbs into the bread, the scents making her nose twitch. This was her second bread loaf, the first in the oven. Special Altean technology allowed bread to rise almost instantly providing you knew how much instant yeast to put into the mix.

"Commander Mae?" It was Hunk's voice, still thick with sleep. She gave a hum in acknowledgment as she prepared the second loaf to bake, pulling her first loaf out of the oven and setting it on the counter. She still had enough mixture and ingredients to make several more loaves of bread.

"Morning Hunk. You're up early." She commented, hearing him yawn sleepily.

"I couldn't sleep. What are you doing up so early?"

"Hmm.. same reason. Baking helps me relax so I came to the kitchens." She heard him come up next to her.

"What are you making? It smells like…. well it smells like my mom's kitchen back home…" he said hesitantly and she cut a piece of the still warm bread, holding it out for him to try.

"It's an old recipe a maid taught me. It reminds me of my home as well. Though my home is very different than yours." They sat at the dining table, sharing the bread with butter.

"What was your home like?" Hunk asked after a while, Mae chewed thoughtfully before choosing her answer.

"... It's a bit complicated. I spent the first 10 years of my life in caverns and tunnels. The bread reminds me of the smells of the tunnels, the water ponds I'd find and of my mom…" she trailed off, clenching her fists as she remembered her dream.

After a few moments she abruptly stood up and clapped her hands together once, startling Hunk.

"Enough of the sappy stuff! Time to wake up the rest of the Paladins. I want you all to form Voltron once again."

That was brought her to where she was now. She walked the many halls of the Castle as she approached her destination, the medical bay. Her flesh arm was healing nicely but it still needed constant attention to make sure everything didn't go south.

Surprisingly she wasn't alone in the med bay. Aside from the prisoners who were in the cryo-regeneration pods, Pidge sat on the ground, anxiously tapping her knee.

"Nervous at all?" The green Paladin jumped.

"No!" She glanced away when Mae raised her eyebrows.

"... yes… they knew Shiro! They have to know something about my family!" Ah her family, her Brother and father that were on the mission with Shiro and were captured.

"Matt and Samuel Holt right? I'm sure the prisoners will know something." Mae said as she took a seat next to the younger girl. She nodded, fiddling with her fingers.

"They recognized Shiro…. They called him 'Champion'... why? What does that mean?" Pidge looked up over the rim of her glasses, eyes wide, curious, and pleading. Mae let out a sigh and leaned over and ruffled the girl's caramel hair.

"I don't know kiddo. But I'll help you in any way I can, deal?" She said, a comforting smile finding its way onto her lips. Pidge looked at her for a moment,

"What do I do for my end of the deal?"

"Well you can try and fix my arm. I heard you're pretty good at stuff like that." She said with a grin, it took a moment but then Pidge started to smile.

Shiro came in as Mae was got blankets and warm drinks for the newly awakened prisoners. They thanked her profusely as she attended to their wounds, Pidge having fixed her arm enough to work for a few hours at most so she could function. She splinted several fingers and feet, put medical ointment on burns, and bandaged scratches. She was horrified at the treatment of the prisoners, the cryo-replenishers could only do so much before it could turn disastrous.

She was helping one of the prisoners with their legs, bending and rotating one of their knees to make sure nothing was bruised to severely or broken when Pidge started to talk.

"So, how long were you held captive by Zarkon?" She asked,

"Some for years. Decades, maybe. It's hard to tell. Time becomes a blur." The prisoner; Xi, replied, thanking Mae as she gave him a warm drink.

"Then you must have been there when my dad and brother arrived. Sam and Matt Holt?"

"I never knew their names, but I certainly remember the other two Earthlings that arrived with Champion."

"'Champion.' Why do you keep calling me that?"

"You really don't remember? Unbelievable! You were a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. You defeated an infamous Galra gladiator known as Myzax. That was the day you earned the name "Champion." I was there, as was the young Earthling." He paused for a minute, closing his eyes as he recollected his memories.

"We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Zarkon. That day, we were set to fight Myzax, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all. This 'Matt' was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans… You were so thirsty for blood, you injured your fellow Earthling."

It was silent for a moment as Mae finished up tending to everyone's wounds. She made her way over warily to Pidge's side, ready to step in if things escalated.

"You attacked my brother? Why?!" Pidge was upset, confused, and angry all at the same time. Shiro looked horrified in himself and scared and confused.

"No…. it can't be true…" he seemed to be almost pleading with himself, as if it would go away if he just didn't believe it. Mae was tense but didn't say anything as she didn't know the whole story. She had done things for the better of others that had seemed monstrous before so this could be a case like that.

"I was there. We all were." Xi confirmed Shiro's fear with a nod of his head.

"After my brother was injured, where was he taken?"

"I know not."

""I don't believe it. There's got to be more to the story. I-I couldn't have hurt my friend." Shiro paused,

"Wait. That ship we were held captive on crash-landed on this planet. They'll have logs of prisoners, some... information."

"I'm coming with you!" Pidge immediately said after and they both looked to Mae. She glanced at the prisoners and sighed,

"I have to make sure everyone here is taken care of. I'm going to trust you guys by letting you out on your own." It was probably a mistake but she knew she had to start trusting them at some point.

It was a mistake letting them out. Mae was letting out every swear word she knew as she watched over the castle cameras. The huge Galran monster was getting dangerously close to a village that Allura and Coran were at.

"If you guys mess this up I am personally going to kick your ass! Come on! You can do better than this! I know you can!" She shouted through her Mic, chewing on her lip in worry.

Her worry soon dissolved when she saw Keith slam his Bayard into the Lion's dashboard and Voltron slammed its hands together and formed a sword. It sliced through the monster as if it were butter and Voltron stood in the aftermath of the explosion, almost like a guardian god or deity. A grin lit up her face as she projected herself onto the Lions dashboards. The Paladins looked absolutely exhausted, and she could understand why.

"You did amazing Paladins. At this rate, Zarkon won't stand a chance against you."

….

 **The ending of this chapter isn't my favorite but I've had it sitting in my google docs for a week so I just sucked it up and published what I had. But thank you for reading and commenting! Next two episodes/chapters are going to be intense I hope you like them!**

 **Please favorite, comment, and follow!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Comment Review Time!**

 **Runewolf from Quotev: I'm so glad you continued to read this! I really try my hardest to put out good quality chapters so I hope you continue to read!**

 **Galra from Quotev: I'm so glad you think so! Thank you for reading! :)**

 **WhiteWolf815 from FanFiction: Seriously you are like one of my favorite commenters I cannot say this enough. And thank you for your lovely comment!**

 **I'm not crazy your just boring: It's based off of the anime Fairy Tail and it's never really explained why characters name their attacks in that. It's more of just a reference to the characters in Fairy Tail but they do use their powers without naming it but it's really up to how it's written :) Thanks for liking the story!**

….

 _*dream*_

 _It was cold again, though not as cold as before. But something was wrong, Mae couldn't tell what, but she knew something was oh so wrong. Her armor was still there in almost perfect working order unlike her last dream. She couldn't see her feet, but she was in full armor, but it seemed almost decorative. She couldn't feel her fingers, the tips seemed red and almost like they were bubbling. She staggered through the ever present fog, ragged breaths clouding her vision in front of her._

 _There was a voice behind her, she couldn't recognize what it was saying, only that it was female and taunting and dangerous._

 _There was a split second of silence and then the burning started. A harsh, painful, burning that seemed to melt her skin off her bones as it melted through the armor. She could hear her skin sizzling as a scream was caught in her throat and she tumbled to the ground. The stone seemed to crack beneath her, opening into a deep void. The ground fell away and she was suddenly falling down and down and down into a thick darkness._

 _*end Dream*_

With a gasp, Mae sat up in bed, heart hammering against her chest. She was panting heavily, eyes blown wide. She had taken a nap after all the events of that day, not planning on any dreams, but that had shaken her up. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she got up and changed into her armor. The Arusians would be there soon and she had to be there for the 'party'.

Mae was never one for festivities or parties. Sure she went to the occasional gala before the Fall of Altea, but that was only required because of her rank in the Royal Army and family. Really the only reason she went was because it was required and Alteans had good alcohol.

( _No she wasn't an alcoholic, but she was a knight and soldier, drinking alcohol was something her and her off-duty soldiers did on a weekend when they had nothing to do._ )

( _Also don't drink until you are of age!_ )

She stood at the top of the stairs, sipping her own drink she had retrieved from the kitchens. It was a concoction of different drinks including some alcohol, the burn of the alcohol sliding down her throat like fire. Both of her arms had been completely fixed so she was at 100%, her helmet tucked under her right arm. Her eyes scanned every entrance and exit as Arusians left and entered the Castle. It made her uneasy, and she had the feeling that something bad would happen.

It felt like hours later after the whole celebration started before she was actually approached by someone. It was Shiro, in his armor and looking almost as tense as she felt.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked, downing the rest of her drink and setting it aside. Shiro shrugged, looking wary,

"This doesn't feel safe, letting everyone wander in and out of the castle like this." He said, voicing his concern after a moment of silence.

"It's only fair to the Arusians, thought I do agree with you. I'd offer you a drink to calm your nerves but alas my drink is empty and you don't seem like the alcohol drink type." She said teasingly, bumping him with her hip in an attempt to settle him down. A high strung soldier mixed with a formal event was never a good thing.

"How about you and I go do a perimeter check? It might help calm your mind. I'll take the left side of the castle you take the right?" She suggested before turning and mingling back into the crowd, she heard him give an affirmative as he walked towards the right entrance of the castle.

She stood outside for a moment, in the trees surrounding the castle as she took a deep breath of fresh air and let her senses relax. There was the smell of the earthy ground and she could vaguely hear the bubbling of a stream not too far away. The taste of the earthy air on her tongue relaxed her muscles and she let out a whoosh of breath.

"Well if it isn't the Commander come out to play?" Mae whirled, sending a shard of crystal at the unknown, hostile voice. There was the sizzling of something before Mae turned fully and saw who had spoken, a cold feeling chilling her veins.

….

Keith let out an angry yell as he beat against the particle barrier. The moment he and Allura stepped out to help the Arusian village they were blocked out by their own defenses.

"Oh if it isn't one of the Paladins and the itty bitty Princess!" Came an unknown voice and the duo turned.

A woman with green skin and vibrant purple hair pulled into a high ponytail grinned at them. Her eyes were yellow with slitted pupils and Keith could see fangs and a forked tongue from where he was. She was garbed in Galra armor and had a glowing handgun pointed at Commander Mae's head. Mae was held in a tight headlock, her hands wedged between the galra's hands and her neck to allow for some air. The woman was taller than the red haired commander so she was at an obvious disadvantage. The gun kept Allura and Keith from moving.

"Who are you?" Allura demanded, eyes narrowed at the other woman. A twisted grin stretched across the Galra woman's face.

"Why me? I'm Akhlys! You would call me a Galra mage but little Maisie here would call me a Dragon Slayer. Much like herself!" Mae's eyes widened and she started struggling. Akhlys tightened her grip. Keith gripped his bayard tighter.

"Now now we don't want that! Unless you want to die that is!" Akhlys giggles but it was cut off in a shriek as Mae kicked her feet up above her head and then down between the Galra woman's legs. Akhlys went flying over Mae's head and tumbled a little closer to Keith and Allura. The gun skidded towards Mae and lay there with a deep hum.

….

"What do you mean you're a Dragon Slayer?" Maes demanded as she got to her feet. Allura inched towards the particle barrier while Keith started inching towards Mae. She waved him off and kept her gaze on Akhlys. The green skinned woman got to her feet, spitting on the ground as she faced the Crystal Dragon Slayer.

"You're a Crystal Dragon Slayer, raised by a dragon correct? Raised by a dragon and given the power to kill dragons! I am much like you! But I'm better, stronger, I have more magic than you!" She drew back her arm, her hand sizzling and then she threw whatever she formed in her hand. Mae instinctively covered her face with her arm. And then it hit.

Her prosthetic arm started melting, sizzling, _**burning**_. Mae let out a scream and backpedaled as the nerve endings in her right arm screamed at her to get whatever it was _**off**_. She shook off whatever was clinging to her arm and looked at what it was.

It was acid, burning a hole in the dirt and through her arm. Mae panted heavily, her right arm shaking. She gritted her teeth and glared at Akhlys. The woman was rotating her arm as if winding up to throw more acid. Which she did, Mae rolled out of the way and sent a Crystal shard her was. Akhlys threw another handful of acid and it melted the crystal projectile.

"You….. you're an Acid Dragon Slayer?" Mae asked warily and Akhlys threw her head back and laughed,

"Bingo!" She crowed with sick joy and inhaled, Mae recognized the stance and dove out of the way as Akhlys let out a roar. She rolled under the boiling stream of acid and towards Keith and Allura.

"What does she mean Dragon Slayer? What are you?!" Allura demanded and Mae let out a quiet groan.

"Now isn't the time to talk about it. I promise I'll tell you after all this is done but right now I need to keep you all safe. Stay here, I need to lead her away from the castle." She hissed out and pushed the two of them towards the castle before she ignored Keith's calls for her to stop and took off running.

Akhlys took her bait and followed, calling out taunts and jeers as she chased the red-haired woman. Mae cursed under her breath as she dodged rocks and low hanging branches. It was dark so she had to follow her nose in order to keep from falling.

"Come here Little Maisie! Let's play!" Akhlys sang and Mae could hear her melting landscape left and right. She came out on a cliff side, overlooking the Arusian village, in flames. She could hear Akhlys getting closer so she whirled to be ready for an attack. There was a burning sensation on her face, then the sensation of falling, and then everything went black.

…...

 **I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING GONE FOR SO LONG! My life has been hectic with family and life problems! I promise to not wait this long for the next chapter!**

 **The only other excuse I can say is that I've kicked off a new series for My Hero Academia that requires a lot of attention because it involves a whole lot of world building.**

 **I plan on publishing said series, it's called 'Monster' and involves a 5 book series, each focusing on a character based on some 'monster' or creature in mythology.**

 **If you guys would like to see more pieces I've written then go check out my Tumblr! I write short drabbles/one-shots based on one word, one color, one character, and one fandom. All reader inserts! I'm fairytailwzard on tumblr!**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! I hope you continue to read!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you enjoyed!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Comment Review Time!**

 **WhiteWolf815: Okay I woke up to your comment and I nearly dropped my phone. I have absolutely no plans to drop this story! You can pry it from my corpse before I let it go! And as for the epic dragon slayer showdown, THIS IS THE CHAPTER!**

 **StormfastPrime: I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS COMMENT WHEN I WOKE UP! AGH! Okay now that I've stopped screeching I can answer the comment! I'm glad you got the reference for Akhlys! I bounced back and forth between using one of the Gorgons in Greek Mythology as a name, or this one. Obviously I went with this one! Fight scene? Try fight chapter! This won't be quite like Gildarts vs Natsu, I'm thinking more Natsu vs Gajeel or Cobra but I've definitely taken qualities of Gildarts for Mae, like magic color scheme. All Allura knows of Mae's abilities is that she makes stuff out of Crystal. Keep in mind she doesn't like Mae whatsoever. She never wanted anything to do with Mae so learning this is completely new info for her.**

 **(There's a second paragraph Whoopie!)**

 **AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT! I love a good OC story but a lot of the time characters have a lot of power to the point of Overpowering them. To a degree Mae is kind of like that. I mean come on have you seen Fairy Tail? Everyone can be overpowered to some degree, but I do want a well rounded-not as OP character so I'm glad I've reached that!**

…..

 _*I am no master at writing action scenes but LET'S DO THIS ANYWAY!_ *

Mae opened her eyes and found herself faceup in a crater of dirt. She heard Akhlys on top of the cliff she fell off of, cackling as she searched for the woman below. It was with a rush of relief that Mae realized that she couldn't see her among the trees and foliage. She scrambled to her feet and fell over, nearly hitting her head on a rock as she realized that for the second time, her prosthetic arm was unusable. But this time it was almost completely melted. It hung by a few wires and her nerves were probably completely shot. She crouched in a thick patch of bushes, reaching over with her left hand to grasp a rock and raised it over her ruined right arm. She gave a swift jab downwards, biting down on her lip as she discovered that her nerves may have been shot but she could still feel the pain. Another hit, then then another, and then the arm came off in a clatter of metal against rock.

The dragon slayer froze and held her breath as she prayed that Akhlys didn't hear her. It didn't seem that she had so Mae moved further back into the foliage and made a decision to form her magic into something useful.

It hurt. It burned like she was sticking her hand through fire. The crystal melted and fused to the stump of her arm and she had to bite back a scream. It seemed like it took forever, but finally, finally, she had a glittering crystal arm with the fingers curving into clawed points. Her fingers flexed and she clenched them into a fist. The crystal obeyed and she nodded, letting out a breath of relief.

"Resourceful little Maisie! Too bad it won't work for long!" Came Akhlys's voice and Mae had to roll out of the way as Akhlys rocketed from the cliffside into the ground, making an even deeper crater. Mae shot to her feet, turning to face the woman. Akhlys turned with a wicked grin, showing off her sharpened fangs.

"Aw you dodged! That's too bad! You were supposed to be hit by my _**Acid Rain**_! Why don't we try it again hm?" She raised her hand, a metallic greenish silver magic circle appearing above her hand and head.

" _ **Acid Dragon: Acid Rain!**_ " She crowed, her voice seeming magnified. There was the sound of sizzling before rain started to fall and Mae created a crystalline shield to defend from the downpour.

The drops hit her shield and it started to melt. Mae panted heavily, her right arm trembled, still not fully functional and working to its fullest potential. So Mae did the only thing she could do at the moment; and ran. She turned tail and fled, leading the acidic rain and Akhlys away from the castle and the Arusian village. The rain continued to pelt her shield and she had to reinforce it with magic as she searched for a decent hiding spot to make a plan. A small cave, more of a crevice really came into sight and she practically dove into it, her right arm protesting as she forced it to move and create another shield over the entrance.

Her breaths echoed in the dark cave as the crystal shield gave it a dim glow. The commander leaned her head on the rock as she slumped against the wall, sweat pouring down her face as her mind raced and came up with a plan. Her armor was trashed and she was no better. She could hear Akhlys getting closer and closer, her enhanced hearing picking up on her taunting voice.

"What do I do?" She whispered, clenching her eyes shut. With a silent gasp, a memory surfaced in her mind.

 _*flashback*_

 _Mae skittered to a stop and panted as she grinned excitedly, hopping onto her mother's palm._

 _"Mama! Look at what I can do!" She chirped and closed her eyes, clenching her fists as she concentrated. Glimmering scales covered her body slowly and her fingers sharpened to talons. She held this for a good 20 seconds before the scales dissolved in a flurry of magic particles and she relaxed, panting and had a tired grin on her face._

 _"You've been practicing Mae. Very good." Almas rumbled with pride, her voice having an almost metallic ring to it. Mae giggled in delight as Almas gently ran her taloned thumb across her daughters head and ruffled her hair._

 _"You still have a lot of work to do but I know you can do it. I know you will succeed."_

 _*End flashback*_

"That's it!" Mae whispered and felt her magic welling up, overflowing like a wine glass tipping over and spilling. She whispered " _Crystal Dragon Scales_ " as her magic took shape.

Crystal scales started at her feet, winding and twisting upwards, covering her whole body under the armor. The scales sharpened her fingertips into claws and covered her body in a frosty blueish white translucent color that had a rainbow sheen when it hit the light. She exhaled and looked to the side, smiling as she stood and left the cave.

Akhlys saw her almost immediately.

"Aw Little Maisie came out to play!" She crooned and swiped her hand violently in front of her, a wave of acid materializing and rushing towards the other woman. The acid hit but it didn't burn, it didn't break through Mae's defenses. The purple haired woman stood in dumbfounded shock as Mae lowered her arms from defending her face, armor in tatters but now seeing the scales covering her body. She lunged forward and dug her fist into Akhlys's stomach, sending her crashing back through trees.

"Ho-How? How are you still standing? You should've disintegrated by now!" Akhlys screamed and Mae's lips curled into a snarl.

"I won't be defeated by the likes of a Galran puppet!" She snarled out and their fists met together in a power shaking crash.

….

Keith ran through the forest, Allura talking Pidge through how to take down the particle barrier. They still had a few minutes and Keith had the feeling that they had to go help and check on Mae. They followed the steaming path of acid melted landscape and made it to a cliff.

A massive crater sat at the bottom of the cliff, trees gone and it seemed like there was a fight going on down below. There were flashes of bluish white and metallic green as the woman Akhlys and Mae met each other in punch after punch.

"What's happening?!" Allura came up beside Keith and the spot next to them exploded in a rain of dirt and rock. They shielded their faces, Keith summoning his shield and protecting the two of them. Mae wrenched herself out of the rock and Keith nearly fell off the cliff in shock as the ground crumbled beneath him.

She looked _**terrifying**_. Glimmering scales of bluish-white covered her entire body, her armor in tatters, a snarl exposing her sharpened canines. Her hair was sharpened, looking like hardened rubies and looked to be made of crystal itself. She crouched and leaped, rocketing towards who he assumed was Akhlys down below.

"What was that?! Are you guys okay?!" Pidge asked and Keith saw the two fighting 'dragon slayers' meet midair, clawing and punching at each other.

"I-I don't know. It looks like Mae is fighting another person with the same kind of abilities as her." Keith said unsurely and Allura looked scared, angry, and unsure all at the same time.

"We have to get out of here." She whispered,

"What?! No! We have to help Mae!" Keith argued and they both heard two roars melding together and there was a bright flash of light, an explosion, and they were thrown back. Smoke flooded the area and the two of them had no choice but to flee.

Just what was happening down there?

….

Mae summoned more magic, feeling it bubble up in her throat as she readied her next attack. Akhlys growled and Mae saw her cheeks ballooning, a sure sign of a roar. She inhaled and the other woman did the same.

" _ **Crystal Dragon-"**_

" _ **Acid Dragon-"**_

Then they screamed simultaneously.

" ** _ROOOOAAAAR!"_**

The roars met in the middle and exploded. A bright flash of light blinded them both and they were flung apart. Mae crashed into the rocky cliffside and her head spun. She pulled herself out of the rock and landed on the ground. Her eyes scanned the carnage before her, not seeing Akhlys.

"Did I-"

"MAE TOPAZ!" Came a scream and Akhlys shot out from the smoke, bleeding and battered but still very much alive and very angry. Her pupils were nearly gone and her yellow irises were glowing with crazed insanity. Mae dodged out of the way but sensed Akhlys twist in midair to land a solid kick to the back of her head with an acid-encased foot. The scales protected Mae from the acid itself but the force of it sent her skidding facefirst through the dirt.

Just as Mae turned onto her back to get up; the Acid Dragon Slayer landed on Mae's back, almost straddling her as she began to lay punch after punch onto Mae's face. It did more damage to Akhlys, but Mae was pinned and she couldn't get up. There was a cracking sound and Akhlys recoiled, howling as she grasped her wrist of her now broken hand. Mae scrambled backwards, working her jaw to make sure no damage had been done.

"W-what…. What did you do…? WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Akhlys screamed and charged Mae, throwing punches and kicks in an attempt to beat the other woman.

Mae thrusted her fist into Akhlys's chest and sent her flying into the rocky cliff.

"Stand down Akhlys, you've been beaten and I don't want to kill you." She said, not letting down her guard. The Galran woman peeled herself from the rock, landing on shaky feet. She staggered but held her ground, placing one arm on top of another and her broken wrist on top. Her other hand was facing downward, palm out. Her fingers were outstretched and she crouched slightly. Mae slid into a defensive fighting stance, what was Akhlys doing?

"Victory or Death! That is the Galra way! I'll kill you Mae Topaz! And laugh as your body crumbles to dust from my acid!" Akhlys shrieked and power started seeping from her palm. Mae readied a fist of magic as the light from Akhlys's magic almost blinded her.

" _ **ACID DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART! ACIDULOUS IMPACT: BANE'S APOCA-"**_ Mae lunged forward, thrusting her magic out and Akhlys's magic abruptly stopped. She froze, crystal beginning at her feet and moving up her body. Mae watched in near regret as crystal completely encased Akhlys, turning her into a solid shimmering blue crystal statue. The crystal dragon slayer was left alone, a somber almost regretful expression on her face.

 ** _LOOK ANOTHER CHAPTER! WOO HOO! Thanks for reading this chapter guys! I also have some good news for this story! I've decided to use this story as my project for my creative writing class. Our big project is that we have to write a novel in 30 Days. Now I can't write all 5 seasons in 30 Days. But I'm definitely going to finish first season this month!_**

 ** _Please comment and tell me what you thought!_**

 ** _FairyTailWzard over and out!~_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **WhiteWolf815: I legit almost started hyperventilating when I saw this comment no joke. I was so worried about publishing this cause action scenes are NOT my forte. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LIKING IT!**

…

 _(TIME FOR A LONG CHAPTER)_

Mae nearly passed out once she saw the Castle in perfect condition, no Galra, no trouble, nothing. She staggered towards the front of the castle and slumped against the doors, closed and not allowing her in. Her hands shook as she reached towards her neck where her com link was. The likelihood of it working was slim but she was stuck out here, cold, injured, and utterly exhausted. Her crystal scales disintegrated in a flurry of magic particles and she was left leaning heavily against the massive castle. She weakly banged, more of a quiet knocking than banging and she hoped to Almas that someone would hear her.

"Someone open up… please….." She whispered shakily and curled her left hand into a fist, her right hanging limply at her side.

Her pleas were answered just as she was about to slump to the ground.

"Mae?" She turned, Hunk and Coran standing on the path behind her, transporting a massive crystal and looking very _**VERY**_ worried.

"Just….. let me inside…" she said quietly, Coran moved to help her but she shook her head.

"Just let me inside… please…." Coran finally obeyed and she half stumbled inside.

Everyone was talking when she entered the main room, making sure an injured and unconscious Lance was okay as Coran hooked up the massive crystal so they could get him into a healing pod. Hunk hung back by her as they got him situated to make sure she didn't keel over.

"What happened to you Mae?" He asked as the rest of the Paladins fussed over each other's wounds.

"I fought someone with similar abilities to mine. It didn't end well. For her at least. As you can see, I survived." She said, giving out a tired wheeze and then winced.

It was only when Lance was in the healing pod that everyone realized that she was there.

"Mae! Are you alright?" Pidge took one look at her and backpedaled,

"Oh…. Oh gosh….. that's- that's a lot of blood…." she stammered out and went pale. Shiro's and Keith's eyes widened and Allura blanched.

"What happened to you? What happened to the woman from earlier?" Keith demanded and Mae leaned her head back against the wall.

"We fought….. destroyed some landscape but I ended up winning….. Akhlys….. Akhlys is dead…" She whispered the last part, ignoring their eyes that bugged out.

"...You killed her?" Allura looked disgusted.

"It was kill or be killed. I had no choice." Mae snapped and her eyes closed.

"She called you a Dragon Slayer. What did she mean?" Allura demanded and Mae couldn't stop the groan that escaped her lips.

"Not now Allura." She said and forced herself to stand up straight on shaky legs.

"No! I demand you answer me! What did she mean by Dragon Slayer?" Allura grabbed her crystal arm and jerked Mae to look at her.

That was when the adrenaline wore off and all the pain she was in set in. Immediately her body shut down and her eyes rolled back, her knees buckling. There were the shouts of the Paladins and Allura let go of her arm in shock but Mae was unconscious before she hit the ground.

….

Shiro watched in concern as Coran flitted about Mae's body. The table she was on glowed slightly, keeping track of her vitals. Shiro honestly couldn't tell what had happened to her.

She had acid burns on her face and body, her right arm gone and in place used to be a glittering arm made completely of crystal. She had wounds scattering her body as well, a particularly nasty head wound on her right temple. Her prosthetic leg was in no better shape, with the top covering blown off and wires sticking out haphazardly. Both the leg and the crystal arm had to be removed in order to make sure there wasn't any debris or infection in the stumps.

"Any idea what happened to her?" He asked and Coran stopped running around for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not a clue, Keith and Allura seemed pretty shaken up when they came back to the castle. Keith said they couldn't see exactly what happened but Mae and this 'Akhlys' woman apparently fought." He said, arms crossed while he looked down at the Commander.

Shiro didn't know why, but he felt like he had to stay and watch Mae. He knew she was safe, but hearing Keith's shaky voice; nothing ever shook that kid up so that in and of itself was scary, made him think that he needed to watch her. However nothing happened, she didn't twitch, didn't move, it was almost like she was dead.

He was proven sorely mistaken when he was dozing off after what he thought was the second day of her healing. After teh first day, she was moved to a healing pod to speed up the process, her prosthetic stumps were removed and new ones were going to be constructed once she woke up. Shiro sat by a medical table, head leaning on his hands and eyes drooping. The healing pod opened with a hiss and he jolted awake, just in time to see Mae start to slump forward. He nearly knocked his chair over in an attempt to catch her before she could hit the ground, succeeding as he had to slide to his knees when he caught her.

She was still slightly cool from the healing pod but she also felt incredibly warm. Her hair had been brushed and she was clothed in a simple white jumpsuit, the right arm and left leg cut off to reveal the stumps of where her prosthetics normally lay. The suit was rather tight fitting so Shiro could see her lean body through the fabric. He averted his eyes to her face, a peaceful look on her face as she slowly came into consciousness. Her eyelashes fluttered and her face scrunched up.. She made a groaning noise as Shiro picked her up and moved her back to the medical table that she first lay on.

"Wha-? Where am I? Shiro?" She glanced through squinted eyes through the bright light up to the Black Paladin and he took a seat,

"You just got out of the healing pod, you should take it easy." He coaxed as she tried to sit up. Apparently she didn't realize her prosthetics were gone as she almost tumbled off the table when she attempted to put weight on her missing right arm. Shiro helped her into a sitting position and he could tell she was starting to panic in her disorientation.

"Where's my arm? Shiro where's my prosthetics?" Her eyes were blown wide.

"Woah there, calm down a little. Coran had to remove the prosthetics to make sure there was no permanent damage to the nerves. They were destroyed so Pidge, Hunk, and Coran are going to work on building new ones. Coran says he has some spare prosthetic legs just so we can get you walking when you're fully healed." He explained and he could see her slowly coming to full alertness and she calmed down, moving her left hand and wiggling her right foot as if reassuring herself that they were still there.

"I want to get up." She said after a few minutes and started to push her functioning limbs to move off of the table.

"Mae, you should wait-"

"I want to get up." She all but commanded, her tone of voice lowering and her eyes narrowing. Shiro took one look at her eyes and sighed,

"Fine. But let me help you."

….

That's what got them to where they were now. Mae had her good arm slung over his shoulder and his right arm was around her waist as they slowly made their way down the hall to the kitchen where the rest of the group was talking to a newly woken up Lance. She had a blanket slung around her shoulders like a cape and it kept her warm as her body adjusted to the cooler temperature of the Castle.

"-Wait, what? Pidge is a girl and the Castle is a ship? How long have I been out?" Came Lance's voice as the two waited for the door to slide open.

"Shiro! Mae?! Your awake!" Hunk cheered and everyone turned to look at them. Shiro helped Mae sit down in a chair just to the left of Lance and she sagged gratefully into it, nodding her thanks to the Paladin as he moved back to give her some room.

It was silent for a moment,

"Mae! Did you guys know Pidge was a girl?" Lance blurted out and Pidge groaned,

"At least let Mae settle in Lance…" She muttered under her breath,

"It's quite alright Pidge. But to answer your question Lance; I did actually, from the first time I met you guys. Males and Females smell different with my sense of smell. Let me say I was confused when I first saw you." Mae let out a breathy chuckle as she adjusted the blanket over her lap.

"What did Akhlys mean by Dragon Slayer? No excuses this time 'Commander'." Allura demanded, spitting the word 'commander' like it had a foul taste in her mouth. Mae rolled her eyes,

"Getting straight to the point as always." She grumbled under her breath but sat up straight.

"It's a bit hard to explain-"

"I said no excuses!"

"Let me finish talking Allura. It's rude to interrupt. Very unprincess-like" Mae said calmly and internally giggled at the sight of Allura positively fuming, hands clenched. Her battle suit did nothing to hide her anger as she kept quiet.

"As I said, it's complicated. Coran already knows all of this but I wanted it kept a secret from everyone else until now. It's best if I start at the beginning so you'll all want to take a seat." She said, motioning with her only hand for everyone to take a seat before she started talking.

"Allura and Coran know this, but I am not the blood-child of King Alfor. I was adopted into the Royal Family at the age of 10. Before that I was raised in caves underground by my mother Almas, the Crystal Dragon."

"But dragons don't exist Mae.." Pidge trailed off as Mae looked at her,

"They do exist. Or at least they did 10,000 years ago. But Almas was a dragon, the most powerful being I knew. She trained me in the art of Dragon Slaying. Yes it's confusing, a dragon training someone to slay dragons. But that's how it worked, dragons could select humans to give their power to. Yes, I'm human like you Paladins. But my magic lets me excel beyond anything you could hope to dream. She trained me to harness the power she gifted me to allow me to become a warrior of her creation. But when I was 10, she brought me to the surface for the first time and disappeared. That's when I met King Alfor, he took me into his family and trained me. Then I joined the Royal Military and became Commander at age 18. I lost my right arm at the shoulder and my left leg at the knee when I was 19 in an accident. Zarkon attacked when I was 24, the same age I am now, and you all know the rest." She leaned back into her seat as she allowed everyone to digest the information.

"What does your magic allow you to do exactly?" Keith asked after a period of silence,

"Good question. I manipulate crystal. My magic allows me to take on all the qualities of a dragon. I have dragon lungs to breath crystal, that attack I used on the Galra door when retrieving the Red Lion is an experiment with that. I have dragon scales within and on me to help dissolve the crystal, and dragon claws to attack with crystal. I can eat my element as long as it's not created by my own magic. So I can eat crystal and other gemstones to gain more power." She gave a period of silence before speaking again,

"What other questions do you have?" She asked the group as they fidgeted, Coran already knew most of the information regarding her backstory but everyone else did not. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk looked at her in awed confusion, Keith looked like he was wrestling with himself about something, Shiro looked on in interest, and Allura… Allura looked pissed. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her teeth and fists clenched, and she was shaking. If Mae had to guess, she was probably upset that Alfor never told her this before.

"So you could get super powerful by eating the crystals on the Balmera? We were going back to rescue Shay, her and her people helped me and Coran get a crystal that powered up the castle and healed you guys. They're really nice but the Galra are keeping them captive and ruining their home. We have to-"

"Hunk, calm down. Take a deep breath." Mae cautioned, stopping him before he started on another string of rambling.

"Yes, I can eat Balmeran Crystals. Anything that is made of crystal or gems, including some foods like rock candy, can give me varying degrees of power. Though last time I went to a Balmera the abundance of crystal overloaded my system and stopped my heart twice because of the shock. I was 11 back then so I should be fine now." She said before smacking her hand once on the table.

"Enough chit chat! Let's get this Castle up and flying!"

….

( _eeeeey time for more drama!_ )

Allura was fuming as she stalked through the Castle halls and towards where her father's AI was. Why hadn't he told her about Mae's abilities? Was she not trusted enough? The door to the room opened and she went inside, waiting for her father's AI to start up. Mae didn't know about this room and Allura wanted to keep it that way. She didn't need to know about it, Alfor was Allura's father, not Mae's.

The familiar meadow that took over gave her some peace of mind and her father appeared, a simpering grin on his face.

"My dearest Allura, what has you so upset?" He asked and Allura relaxed, sitting down among the grass.

"It's nothing Father." She lied and picked at the flowers by her hands. She felt 4 years old again, happy and content, before Mae came and ruined everything.

"You've always been terrible at lying me dear. Tell me, what's wrong?" Alfor took a seat beside her, his hologram flickering as he did so.

"It's Mae again…. She explained how her powers work… Father why didn't you tell me?! Why was this information kept from me?" She demanded, anger bubbling up again. Her father sighed, hanging his head briefly.

"I kept this information from you because Mae asked me to. She didn't want anyone to think she different of her for being raised by a dragon-"

"But dragons aren't real! Everyone knows they're only fairy tales! She's crazy! A crazy monster-"

"Do _**NOT**_ talk about your sister like that Allura." Her father's tone made her jaw snap shut with a click. Her father never got angry and never _**EVER**_ raised his voice, he was always calm and kind with a gentle smile on his face. But now he was angry, eyes blazing with emotion and jaw set.

"She isn't my sister-"

"She _**is**_ your sister Allura and you need to treat her as such. I did not raise you like this. I raised you better than resulting to petty insults."

"But she killed someone Father!"

"And yes that's scary. But sometimes that's what soldiers have to do to protect others. Sometimes they don't have a choice." He said, eyes hard and jaw set but a calmer expression on his face.

Allura fought back angry tears and she stood up to leave. Alfor followed slowly but got to his feet nonetheless.

"Allura… why don't you have Mae come talk to me? Perhaps we can come to some kind of middle ground." He suggested and she tensed, she didn't want Mae here. She didn't want Mae to know about this. Mae didn't need to be here. Alfor was _**HER**_ father. Not Mae's.

"Mae doesn't want to see you." She lied and turned abruptly to leave.

"Allura-"

"I said she doesn't want to see you!" She shouted and fled from the room, angry tears streaming her face. All he talked about was Mae. Mae this and Mae that. She wasn't even a part of their family! All she was was a monster who he found on a deserted planet.

….

( _Skipping over the episode Taking Flight_ )

"Achoo!" Mae let out a sneeze and rubbed her nose with the blanket as she waited for Coran to find a prosthetic leg to temporarily attach.

"Found it!" Coran cheered and waved a simple prosthetic leg meant for rehabilitation. Pidge was sitting next to her, talking excitedly about seeing the installation of the prosthetics; Mae however didn't share the same enthusiasm.

"Ready Mae?" Coran asked as he wheeled a table over to prop her stump up on. She grimaced and nodded, adjusting her stump onto the table,

"No but let's get it over with." She grumbled and clenched her fist on the lip of the table. Coran aligned the leg correctly with the prosthetic port and reached to grasp the necessary tools. He used a wrench to get the basic bolts in place, lining it up and glanced to Mae.

"Ready? On three. One-" He jerked the wrench and Mae let out a yelp.

"I thought you said on three!" She accused, jabbing a finger before biting back another yelp.

"You'd chicken out if I did that. Now hush! Do you want me to connect the nerves correctly or not?"

"So you correct the nerves directly to the limb?" Pidge asked in fascinated awe.

"Yes.. Ow! It helps it be as fully functional as possible. Hurts like a bit- CORAN THAT HURTS!" She cut off as Coran finished connecting the nerves.

"I'm done anyway! Stop being such a baby Commander." He winked and allowed the Altean technology to mold and form directly to the port to allow for full mobility. He grasped her foot, rotating the ankle and having her go through exercises to make sure the leg was fully functional.

Mae stood unsurely and set her left leg on the ground, hesitantly putting weight on it. She tested the joint and to her pleasure, it worked perfectly.

"Perfect as always Coran." She grinned and lightly punched his shoulder. He grinned back and slapped her back, sending her staggering on her new leg.

"I, Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, was the one who did it! Of course it'll be perfect!"

Mae listened to the clacking of her foot as she half-hobbled down the hallways. There was something the Paladins had to take care of and she was forbidden by Coran from leaving the Castle until she received the a-okay from him. She had her left hand trailing behind her as she rounded a corner.

The familiar door of the Weaponry called to her and she smiled as the familiar metallic tang of the weapons flooded her nose. All the weapons told a story and cleaning them and just listening calmed her down. She found dusty cleaning supplies and got to work.

It was much harder with only one working hand. She had to brace some of the weapons against the wall or a table in order to clean spearheads and sword blades. Shields were a little easier, she could wedge something underneath them and they wouldn't move. As she turned, she saw a suit of armor in the corner and stopped in her tracks.

It wasn't just any armor, it was the suit that was gifted to her by the original Paladins when she became commander. The blue accents glowed slightly as she approached it, touching the casing it was in. It was still in pristine condition and she fought back tears. Alfor and the Paladins had given this armor to her.

The armor was a shimmering blueish color much like Almas's scales and her own magic. It had a scale pattern, each scale hand carved by blacksmiths. The gauntlets curved into talons and there were sword sheaths that looked like dragon wings hooked onto the belt of the armor. The helmet was made of the same material, with no visor and two curved pieces of metal extending from the helmet to down by the jaw almost like fangs. Two horn like protrusions extended like curved horns. It was as if someone took Almas and made her into a set of armor. Medals she had earned decorated the chest plate of the suit and glittered in the faint light.

"Mae? Could you come up to the main deck please?" Came Coran's voice, sounding unnaturally shaky and she tore herself away from the armor.

"What is it Coran?" She asked and the castle shook, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Mae?! Is that you?! We need help dealing with this monster down here! We have to evacuate the Balmerans!" Hunk wailed through the coms and Mae pushed herself to her feet shakily. She staggered to the control panel and her eyes widened at the sight of the Balmera in shambles. She could see the Lions fighting…. something… below and it was not going well. The beast was huge, had long arms, and about a million eyes.

"Help me convince Allura that going down there is a bad idea!" Coran pleaded with her, shaking her armless shoulder and she looked over to him then back at Allura.

"It is a bad idea….. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm coming with you. Coran before you freak out, they need our help down there. We have to leave this to you. I still have my magic and they'll need both of us to help. Allura you'll have to let me help." She commanded both of them and Coran stared for a moment before letting out a frustrated scream before jabbing Mae's nose repeatedly.

"Listen here Mae! You keep Allura safe! Don't do anything stupid. And above all NO crystal limbs! It was hard enough repairing you last time!" He demanded and she grimaced, pulling away and rubbing her nose.

"Wait while I get armor." She said to Allura before hurrying to the armory where she found simple Altean knight armor that she promptly modified for her one arm status. Her special armor would be saved for later, maybe against Zarkon.

Arriving in the shuttle bay, she noticed one pod was missing.

"That little shit." She cursed under her breath and readied her own pod before putting her helmet on. She turned it on just as Allura said "I'm on the ground."

"Nice of you to wait Allura." She commented before launching out into the fray.

She nearly crashed several times, steering one handed was never easy. She landed safely and looked around,

"I made it." She said into her com link and met the eyes of several Balmerans. She could feel the magic energy of the Balmera below her waxing and waning with each groan. She could feel its pain and it's magic power flowing through the ground. The power seeped into her body but she pushed it back out, she didn't need the power, the Balmera needed it more than she did.

"Balmerans! My name is Mae Topaz. I need you all to come with me to get you all to safety!" She called and looked around.

"Mae it is useless. They do not wish to listen to us." Allura snapped through the com link.

"Well I'm still going to try…." Mae's hand glowed with faint magic energy and lit her way in the dark tunnels. She could hear Allura's voice echoing among the tunnels as she attempted to persuade the Balmerans to save themselves and not let their home die in vain. She could sense the Balmerans, could sense them agree and with her and Allura's help, they moved towards the surface. Mae carried a child on her back, the rough feeling of its skin scraping against her chest.

"Come on! This way!" She called behind her where a line of Balmerans were following her. She was nearly to the surface before there was a massive groan, rocks breaking off and tumbling as the ground shook beneath their feet. Mae tumbled to the ground as her unsteady feet gave out. She fell face first, catching herself haphazardly as she protected the child on her back from danger.

"NO!" She heard Allura scream as she realized the Balmerans were trapped.

"It's on the verge of collapsing! We have to go!" Coran cried through the com link, Mae grit her teeth and forced herself to her feet. She couldn't leave them to die, that could _**NOT**_ happen.

"But the Balmerans!" Allura pleaded hopelessly. Mae tried to summon her magic, she could create a ladder or staircase to help them right? Some way they could be rescued? Her magic bubbled up and fizzled out, it was still replenishing. The most she could probably do was create a small object.

"I'm stuck down here. My magic is too low for me to use." She gasped into her helmet as she tried to catch her breath.

"Mae?! You're still down there?!" Coran demanded and she gave an affirmative.

"Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What's happening?" Hunk asked, grunting as he suffered another hit from the monster.

"The Balmerans are trapped. Just keep distracting that beast!" Coran commanded and Mae got to her feet with the help of a Balmera. The mother of the child taking it back gratefully.

"Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying? Because that's what's going to happen!" Hunk sounded nervous, unsure and scared.

"Guys, remember when I said we didn't have to beat it?" Shiro asked, is voice slightly staticy.

"Yes, I remember that."

"Well, we might have to beat it."

Mae led the Balmerans following her into a series of tunnels, leading them slowly but surely to the surface. It was slow as the monster attacked the lions above and caused more debris to rain down and shake the tunnels. Her helmet was nothing but static but she picked up on tidbits of conversation.

"The Castle!" Allura's voice.

"-You're- energy….. -crystal…. Revitalized….. Balmera." Coran's, filled with awe.

"...Ceremony…. Save the Balmera." Allura's again, sounding hopeful. Then nothing but static. Mae turned a corner and stopped. A massive chasm where tunnels use to twist and turn lay in front of her.

"What do we do? The Balmera is dying and we are trapped!" One of the Balmerans cried behind her and she turned, her magic energy giving them enough light to barely see.

"It'll be alright. My sister up above will save us. She is strong, you have to have faith." She said, crouching in front of the tiny Balmeran who had spoken. His hands were clasped around his ears, eyes squeezed shut. He opened them hopefully as Mae gently took his hands away from his face one at a time.

"It'll be okay. Trust me and my sister that we'll get you all out of here and you'll be safe." She said and looked at all the Balmerans.

Then Mae felt it. A surge of magic power coursing through the Balmera and all around them. She felt some of it rush over all of them and she blocked it from entering her body. She didn't want to siphon any of the precious energy from whoever was doing this. There was one last shudder of the Balmera and then it became still. But that last shudder caused Mae's prosthetic to shake and give out, sending her over the cliff and into blackness.

…

"Is everything okay? That last blast did a lot of damage."

"Mae? Mae are you alright?"

"Mae?"

"I'm not getting anything. Just static."

"MAE! Please tell us if you're okay!"

"Crap the monster is still attacking!"

"Please be alright Mae!"

….

Mae shivered as she came to. It was dark and cold, freezing even as she pushed herself to her unsteady feet with one arm. The light above was barely visible and the area around her was a dark gray with the lack of light. Her armor was broken from the fall, her shoes and helmet missing. She was honestly surprised she was even still alive. The ground beneath her feet was cold and unforgiving, numbing her flesh food to the bone.

"Indestructible armor would really be nice right about now.." She muttered as her breath echoed in her ears.

Mae half stumbled, half walked dwon foggy corridors, intent on trying to find a way down. Her helmet would be nice to have, that way she could give her exact location and get some help. She turned back and looked at where she had fallen.

"Where's that stupid helmet?" She wondered aloud, leaning on the wall for support as she scanned the rubble.

She found the helmet, dented and scratched but still functioning. She hooked her fingers under the lip of the helmet and put it on, tapping it a few times to get it working.

"Hello?" She said into the microphone and it took a few seconds before it came clear and her ears were filled with many voices.

"Mae?!"

"MAE!"

"You're alive!"

"What happened?!"

Mae laughed softly, looking up towards the dim light.

"I fell down a cavern. I'm alright. Just a little disoriented."

"I'm not seeing your tracker on my screen. Where are you?" Pidge asked and she glanced around.

"I- um I don't know. It probably fell off… I don't know where it is."

" _ **It's in the wreckage my dear.**_ " Came a voice just as she started to look for her tracker.

Mae froze, actually tumbling to the ground. She knew this voice, she knew the voice that echoed in her head.

"Mom?!" She called out, turning and pushing herself into a run down the dark tunnels. Crystals grew along the ground, lighting her way.

"Mae? What's going on?!" It was Shiro now, sounding worried but she couldn't worry about that.

"Mom is that you?! Where are you?!" Her voice echoed off the stone around her as she pushed herself faster and faster, her blood pounding in her ears.

"Mae are you okay?! What's happening?!"

" _ **You have to turn back my dear child…. Find your comrades.**_ " Came her mother's voice again, the metallic ring of it making her stop dead in her tracks.

"What? No! You're so close! I can feel you! I have to find you! Why did you leave me Mom?! Tell me how to find you!" Mae pleaded, her voice cracking as she stumbled over crystals but didn't stop. She could hear her friends calling out to her in her ears but she ignored them. Her mother's voice was the only voice that mattered. This feeling in her chest telling her where to go was the only thing that mattered.

" _ **My dear pearl, you have to turn back and find her comrades…**_ " Almas said, using her nickname 'pearl' for which Mae had been named.

"No! I can't turn back now! I'm so close! I'm so close to finding you! To seeing you again! I've been searching for you for years! It's been over 10,000 years since you left me!"

" _ **Child, you must understand that this was all done for a reason. A reason you don't yet understand. You aren't ready for this.**_ "

"Ready for what?! Mom tell me please!" Mae was almost crying, her voice shaking and tears building up. She was gasping for air, a half-broken sob leaving her lips as she skidded around a corner and kept running.

She saw a light at the end of the tunnel, pushing herself faster and faster, her mismatched legs clanging against the stone floor.

"MOM!" She screamed as she came into the light, only to see the glowing cavern of the Balmera's core. She skidded to a stop, hand clenching as she saw a glowing bluish white light hover in front of her before it rushed forward and went through her, knocking her to the ground and disappearing in wisps of smoke.

Mae slid to her knees, ears pounding and heart racing. She couldn't hear the Paladins calling for her in her helmet. She let out a broken scream, one of pain and sadness and ripped her helmet off, throwing it against the ground and falling to her knees, eyes shut as she finally let her tears fall. She stayed like that until she heard the pounding of footsteps and felt several people kneel beside her. A hand touched her back and she smacked it away, tumbling forward and onto her feet as she whirled and prepared to fight whoever was touching her. She was met with Coran's worried face and she broke down as he came forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. She clutched his shirt with all the strength her trembling hand possessed.

"I heard her Coran. I heard my mom. MY mom Almas…." She whispered and Coran simply rocked them both back and forth, whispering comforting words in her ear.

"I swear I did…" Her voice cracked one more time and the only sounds that were heard was the breathing of the Paladins who had come with Coran and the sound of her hiccuping cries.

…

 **HOLY MOTHER THIS WAS LONG! BUT DANG AM I PROUD OF IT! I CANNOT wait for the next chapter! 'Crystal Venom' is by far one of the episodes that I'm looking forward to since I started this book! Also, I've decided to split up books in this series with 2 seasons per book just so I don't have any problems with books being too long and all that jazz.**

 **If you guys would like to interact with me on a more consistent basis then feel free to message me or send me a message over on my Tumblr! I'm fairytailwzard and would love to talk to you all!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **WhiteWolf815: Your comments always make my day whenever I post a new chapter! I'd absolutely love to help you with your story! I'm pretty confident I'll at least be decent this year, my teacher has us write a novel but only reads 3 pages of our choosing to grade us. Literally as long as we show up and write the whole class period and get our stuff done we will pass. Easy class that I take very seriously :D**

…

( _I just realized that I never really touched on why Mae is like never motion sick like other dragon slayers. She views the Castle as her home, much like Natsu considers Happy a friend so he doesn't get sick when flying with Happy. Kind of the same concept._ )

Everyone was wary around Mae for the next little while. She had taken to secluding herself as she tried to figure out what had happened on the Balmera. Her prosthetics has been completely replaced, Pidge and Hunk had helped with creating the limbs and once they were installed, she had left them all in favor of wandering the halls.

She felt so _**angry**_. Angry, confused, upset, she couldn't pinpoint what she was feeling and had scolded herself for it.

"You're the Commander of the Altean Army for Alfor's sake. Stop being such a CHILD!" She whispered to herself as she sat curled in one of the windows, everyone else busy or sleeping as it was nearly their supposed 'nighttime'.

"You know, it's perfectly understandable to be in shock after what you just went through." Came a voice and her head jerked up to see Shiro approaching her, still wary but approaching nonetheless.

"What are you doing awake?" She asked, not answering his previous statement and he glanced at the stars.

"We are finally getting Sendak hooked up to see if we can extract his memories and get information about the Galra." He said and she nodded absentmindedly.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she let out a dry bark of laughter.

"Oh of course. I just found out that my mother might still be alive after 10,000 years and you all think I'm crazy for hearing her in my head." She said and Shiro frowned,

"We don't think you're crazy Commander."

"Well you don't exactly think I'm not crazy now don't you? I see all the ways you guys watch me when you think I'm not looking, or how you are all so wary when you're around me." She snapped and buried her face into her knees, wrapping her arms around them and hiding herself even more.

A warm flesh hand pressed onto her left and she looked up, seeing him look at her straight in the eyes.

"We don't think you're crazy Mae. Maybe a little worried over your wellbeing but not crazy." He said before going silent for a few minutes.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me." He said but she gave no response.

Mae extended her right hand, allowing the magic to trickle out of her fingers and the glittering magic particles fell onto the ground before her like snowflakes. She willed them to form and take shape, building in size and detail as she created the object before her. Once finished, in place of the particles was a handheld statue of Almas with outstretched wings. Every scale and talon looked hand carved, Almas's open maw looked ready to fire a powerful roar and the statue was created in the exact likeness of her mother.

"Is that…...?" Shiro began and Mae nodded,

"That's my mom… Obviously not scaled to size but that's what she looked- looks like. Her name is Almas, more specifically Almas the Crystal Dragon Queen. Even though I'm not of Alfor's blood, I am still royalty." She said and looked up to Shiro who looked surprised. Getting up, she left him in silence with the small statue to ponder over her words.

It seemed like hours when in reality it had been maybe minutes before something happened. Keith came running down the hall, panting and slashing at one of the training bots.

"MAE! OUT OF THE WAY!" Keith shouted and rolled under a swipe from the bot's sword. Mae did indeed move, but only after she formed a sword and sliced the robot in half. The two of them stood in silence, Keith's panting the only sound heard in the thick tension. They both looked at each other as the sirens indicating a wormhole jump was sounded. They nodded at each other before turning and running towards the main control room.

Mae skidded to a stop as the doors slid open. There was Allura at the console as they came out of the wormhole jump, straight into a dying star about to go supernova.

"Allura, what's going on?" Shiro asked, her younger sister seemed almost in a daze as she whispered happily,

"We're going to Altea. We're going home. My father is taking us." She said and as the Paladins tried to get closer, they were stopped by a hologram. A hologram of King Alfor. Mae skidded to a stop, eyes wide with confusion. What was happening? Why was Alfor there as a hologram? Alfor was dead wasn't he?

"Stay away from my daughter!" Alfor bellowed and Mae recoiled, he never yelled. Not once in the years he raised Mae, he never raised his voice.

"Allura wake up!" Shiro shouted to the dazed princess.

"The crystal must have corrupted King Alfor's artificial intelligence. It's taking over!" Coran tried to get closer and Mae pulled him back.

"Coran what do you mean artificial intelligence?" She demanded, mind going a million miles a minute. Coran looked at her in confusion,

"Alfor's memories were stored in a computer just in case he never saw either of you again. Allura was supposed to tell you…. I thought you knew…" He said and Mae's confused look melted into a glare. Allura didn't tell her that her own father was here.

"No she didn't….." She said before Pidge interrupted,

"We're headed straight for a star and it's about to explode!"

"Father… I can see Altea…" Allura sighed dreamily as she looked at said star.

"Allura! Allura! Wake up! What you're seeing isn't real!" Coran pleaded and Mae beat on the particle barrier separating her from her sister.

"Allura! Take down this particle barrier! We have to talk and have to get out of here!" She shouted angrily and for a moment Allura almost turned around.

"The juniberries… the most exquisite flower of all…" she whispered and Mae growled, banging harder though it did nothing.

"Allura please! You've got to listen to me!" Coran was almost begging, eyes wide and fists shaking.

"Is this real?" Allura asked the hologram and it nodded,

"Of course it is real Daughter. That flower you're touching is real." That was the last straw for Mae,

"Oh yeah? Well where's the fragrance of it huh?" She growled and Allura's brow furrowed in confusion as she sniffed whatever seemed to be in her hands, a hologram of the flower that only she could see.

That seemed to snap Allura out of whatever trance she was in and her face slowly paled as she realized what was happening.

"That's not Altea…." She whispered and Mae clenched her fists against the barrier between them,

"Altea is dead Allura, no hologram is going to bring that back."

"When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system. Allura you MUST reset the course and get us out of here!" Pidge cried as the castle got ever closer to the star.

"Father please! I beg you to turn this ship around! If we don't do it soon, we will all perish!" Allura pleaded with the hologram as she now stood outside the particle barrier and with the Paladins. The king watched their descent into the star.

"I know. That is my intention." Was all he said and Mae grit her teeth,

"Why is that Alfor? What do you stand to gain by killing us all?" She snapped to him and he finally looked at her, a flicker of recognition in his eyes but it was covered by that same daze Allura was in.

"Don't you see? Zarkon can never be defeated. He's been ruling or 10,000 years."

"But we must continue to fight!" Allura exclaimed worriedly, eyes flicking to how close the star was to consuming them whole.

"Fight for what? It is all over for Altea. You don't have to live a lifetime of war. You can be with me and the rest of your people. Mae you can be with your soldiers again." He said to both princesses and Mae took a step forward.

"My soldiers died giving their lives for Altea and they died honorably. We always said that " _If death strikes before I prove my blood, then I swear I will kill death._ " They proved themselves, they have no need to see me anymore. I release them from duty." She snarled, still hurt at the fact that her father was technically alive and that he was now trying to kill them. There was a flickering in the hologram and showed a hunched over Alfor, looking panicked and weak.

"Allura, my A.I. has been corrupted. You must disconnect my power source." He gasped before the other Alfor was back,

"We can stroll across the Blossom Canyon every morning, just like we used to. Remember how much you loved that?" He seemed almost pleading and Mae watched as Allura's face hardened.

"I remember. I'll see you soon father. I've got to get to the A.I. Chamber to disconnect my father's power source manually." She said and turned to leave, Mae was still standing in shock at the face that her father was here. She could've talked to him. She could've had his guidance. She barely heard Allura giving instructions until Coran grabbed her shoulder and shook her to the present.

"Follow her, you have to make sure she disconnects the source fully." He asked, no commanded her. She nodded numbly before taking off after her younger sister.

Mae made it to the A.I. Chamber by following her nose but once she stepped into the room, she was swept up in memories.

 _*Memory tiiiiime*_

 _*Cue sad music!*_

 _Mae looked around as she saw Alfor's old room that he shared with his wife. His wife was attending to Allura while Alfor helped Mae get ready. Not many knew this but Alfor was taught by his wife and the maids of the castle how to carefully style hair._

 _Mae heard childish giggling mixed with her father's deep robust laugh and looked to see him standing behind a 10 year old Mae who sat in front of the vanity. He had her hair held in 2 pigtails and she shrieked wildly as he pretended they were aircraft handles and guided her head back and forth, making ship and fighter jet noises._

" _Daddy stop it! We have to finish getting ready!" Mae gasped through her laughter, the King looked on in adoration as she stared up at him with large eyes._

" _Coming in for landing!" he made mock microphone and landing sounds before letting go of her hair. Little Mae giggled and handed him the brush._

 _Mae knew this memory, she remembered what happened next and tears welled up in her eyes._

" _Daddy?" Little Mae asked and her father hummed his acknowledgement, brushing her hair into a braided crown._

" _Will I ever be as pretty as Allura?" His fingers stopped braiding and he looked at her in the mirror with a sad look on his face._

" _Why are you asking Allura? Of course!" he said, allowing her hair to fall from its braid. Little Mae played with her fingers._

" _Well…. It's just… Everyone is always saying how pretty Allura is when we go to galas…. And… well no one says that to me…. Am I not pretty?" She asked, lower lip wobbling as she looked at her father with teary eyes. He turned her to the side, kneeling down in front of her. He cupped her face in his large hands, looking her in the eye._

" _Mae I want you to listen to me. Are you listening?"_

" _Yes, Daddy."_

" _You're more different but you're still you, my daughter, my Mae, my little firecracker. You're just as pretty as Allura. Do you understand?" He said and she nodded, wiping her eyes._

" _Yes Daddy." She whimpered and he gathered her into a hug, running his fingers through her hair which had fallen completely out of its braids and cascaded down her back._

" _Now, let's get you ready for the gala." He said as he pulled back and she nodded,_

" _Can I have my hair down?" She asked and he looked at her for a moment before a smile crossed his face._

" _Of course my dear."_

 _*another memory*_

 _Mae stood in a large room this time, tears dripping from her eyes to her chin to the marble ground beneath her feet. She knew this memory. This was a vivid one in her dreams. She sat with Alfor at his desk as he finished paperwork and she lay on her stomach, playing with soldier figurines that Coran had gifted to her. She was still small, barely 11 or 12 years old._

" _Daddy, can I ask you a question?" She asked out of the blue and her father's quill pen stopped,_

" _You just did my dear," Came his teasing voice and she let out a dramatic groan, rolling onto her side and throwing a toy king on its mount at him which he caught. He grinned down at her playing on the floor and she cracked a smile._

" _What is your question Mae?" Younger Mae sat up with her legs crossed. Alfor took a drink from the mug in the corner of his desk,_

" _What happens when I get married?" Alfor choked on his drink, spewing a little onto the floor. Young Mae blinked in surprise as her father coughed a few times._

" _Why are you asking? Mae do you have something to tell me?" He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice and Young Mae's face turned bright red._

" _No! I was just wondering cause Coran said it would make the guy a Prince and not a king if he married into this family!"_

" _Well….. That's a good question. When I die, you will inherit the throne as my eldest child. You will be the ruler, Queen Mae Topaz. So if your future husband marries into the family, he will be prince as to not outrank the already ruling monarch. Does that make sense?" Older Mae laughed a little as she wiped her eyes, she could remember the turmoil younger her felt at the answer but at the time she hadn't cared too much. Now she wished she had talked about it more, just to hear her father speak again._

 _*New memory*_

 _This memory was one she remembered whenever she was on the field. It was when she became the official commander of the military. A whole coronation had been held in her honor for the occasion. 21-year-old Mae strode into the room, the people around her rising and clapping as she walked down the aisle. Her father and mother stood on a raised platform that led to the throne and stood proudly, Allura looking not so proud off to the side. Her father was in full armor, the white of his armor and the silver of the ceremonial sword glinting in the light. The other Paladins stood off to his left, the Queen, Allura, and Coran off to the right._

 _Younger Mae wore her armor crafted after the likeness of Almas, sinking to one knee with her head bowed and helmet under her arm as she reached Alfor. He drew the ceremonial sword and the hall drew silent. Mae watched as he tapped her left shoulder with the sword and let it rest there before tapping the right and then sheathing it._

" _Arise Mae Topaz, new Commander of the Altean Royal Military." His voice boomed and the crowd erupted in cheers and whooping. The old blue paladin cupped his hands around his mouth shouting "Hip hip hooray Commander Mae!" and it turned into a chant as Younger Mae stood and embraced her father tightly in a hug._

 _*memories end*_

 _ *****_ **A song to listen to is Kanashiki Kako from Fairy Tail** _ **(I recommend finding an extended version)***_

The memories disappeared and Mae stood in blackness, tears finally drying. She could see perfectly despite the blackness and her eyes widened as she saw the one person who was in all her memories. King Alfor, wearing his armor and holding his arms out for an embrace. A choked sound left her lips and she ran forward into his arms.

"I missed you so much Daddy." She whispered and he caressed her hair, leaning his head on hers.

"I missed you too my little firecracker." He whispered in her ear and her tears welled up and fell, choked sobs leaving her lips.

"Why didn't you come visit me? Allura said you didn't want to see me..." He asked, pulling back and looking at her watery purple eyes.

"I didn't know you were here! Allura didn't tell me that you were here as an A.I.! I would've- i would've- I" Alfor pulled her into another hug and they sunk to their knees, Mae breaking down in tears as she clutched her father desperately.

"You know I have to leave. Allura is going to disconnect my power source any minute now." He whispered and she shook her head,

"I can't lose you too! I can't- I can't lose you Daddy!" She choked out and felt him tighten his grip.

"You won't lose me. I'll always be with you Mae." He said and she finally looked into his broken blue eyes,

"But you won't! You'll be gone! I won't be able to speak to you anymore!" She allowed herself to be selfish for once, to feel like a child again in her father's arms.

"I'll see you in your dreams. I promise. We can walk through Altea when you sleep. I love you Mae, I love you so much my firecracker. This is our goodbye." He said as golden cracks ruptured his body and the blackness and Alfor disappeared in a flurry of golden particles.

…

 **Is it bad I made myself cry while writing this? No joke I started crying in the middle of my class. BUT I LOVED THIS CHAPTER NONETHELESS! I hope you liked it!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until next time!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **brittany anderson from Quotev: Okay let me just say that I love your comment! I laughed about if for like a whole class period at school. As for Allura getting a 'beat down'? Well you'll just have to wait and see! I'm not giving anything away!**

 **Ji Hye; my sort of Beta Reader and best friend In real life: YES IT'S SAD BUT YOU LOVE ME ANYWAY!**

 **WhiteWolf815 from Fanfiction: I'M GLAD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CRIED!**

 **Akiko Crystal from Quotev: "after Mae kicks her all the way to the next reality" I LOVE IT!**

…

Mae could feel the tension between her and Allura after Alfor's A.I. was taken down. The princess was dead set on avoiding Mae after it all happened and Mae almost felt bad if it weren't for the feeling of betrayal that bubbled into anger in her chest. She clenched and unclenched her fists as she watched Allura speak with Coran. As much as she wanted to argue, to smooth things out; she had to follow what her father had said and be strong. Even if it meant bottling up her own feelings.

"Mae?" It was Coran, Mae was in the armory and polishing some shields rather aggressively.

"What is it Coran?" She said bluntly, keeping her eyes on the shields as she used the deep cleaning polish to get any rust off of the metal.

"We found a Galran Base, it handles big shipments from all over the Galran Empire. I want you to go." Mae hesitated in her scrubbing, looking at the shield she had been polishing. She could see her face, see bags under her eyes and the red rimmed puffiness from late night crying.

"Fine. Just let me get ready."

Mae clutched at her stomach, holding onto one of the overhead handles of the Green Lions. The Paladins were quiet around her, Coran briefing her in her ear as she adjusted the newly cleaned set of armor over her shoulders.

"Get in, get the information, get out." She whispered to herself and tightened her gauntlets in preparation for battle.

"All clear on this end." She reported to Shiro who was monitoring the information extraction. All conversation went in one ear and out the other as she waited for the next step. She pursed her lips, ducking out of sight as a Galra soldier radioed in to the station and Hunk had to come up with a hasty plan. She glanced at the ground, mind racing as she realized just what the docked ship in front of them held. It had invaluable information that could help them in their fight against Zarkon.

"Pidge, where is that ship headed?" She asked, standing up straight and looking out towards the aforementioned ship. Pidge tapped a couple of keys on her laptop before getting an answer.

"Um….. it's scheduled to be here for about half an hour, then head off to Central Command. Why?"

"That's where they have the information we need, I'm going to sneak aboard that ship to get it." She said and cracked her neck.

"What? No way!" Lance sputtered,

"How are you going to get in?" Keith asked and she frowned, glancing around before spotting the soldier they knocked unconscious when they arrived.

She walked over, and crouched, grasping the back of the galran armor and hefting it up with one hand, looking at the unconscious body and then to her own armor. With a grunt, she stood up and dismantled the armor, leaving the Galra in nothing but the skintight black undersuit. Then she started to dismantle her own armor. She heard some squeaks of surprise behind her but paid them no mind. She had an undersuit, it wasn't like she was walking in the nude.

"If you're uncomfortable then look away." She snapped and started to slip the chestplate over her head.

It was slightly too large and reeked of sweat and Galra. The armored pieces connected with a hiss and she filled in the empty spaces with lightweight crystal to also add to her weight and seem more bulky. She was having trouble connecting the back chestplate piece to the front and felt other larger hands take over after her fingers couldn't quite reach the connecting switch. Turning her head slightly, she saw familiar black armor, it was Shiro.

"... Thank you…" She muttered and looked bent to grasp at the shoes of the Galran armor. Her legs were much too short, that much was painfully obvious and she grumbled angrily before she had an idea.

"Shiro lift me up." She said and heard Lance sputter in surprise, last time he had tried picking her up as a joke, Lance ended up in the infirmary with a broken nose.

"Are you sure?" He asked and she threw a punch,

"If I wasn't then I wouldn't have suggested it! Now pick me up before I use you as a stepstool!"

He lifted her up by her armpits and she hovered off the floor as her magic bubbled up in her hands. The magic power looked almost like liquid silver and she tilted her hand and let it fall onto the floor, pooling and spiraling upwards until two shining leg-like stilts stood in front of her and formed straps around her ankles and calves. She slipped her now longer feet into the Galra shoes and she waved for Shiro to let her go, holding her arms out for balance as her magic trickled down the inside of her suit, filling it in so it fit the Galra armor. Then she stood tall, towering above the Paladins with a smug look on her face.

"Told you I had an idea!"

"Yeah nice idea, but you are still a human color." Keith commented and Mae shrugged, closing her eyes and letting her magic power flow over her exposed features. It took a bit longer to form since she wanted a crystal layer that wouldn't reflect too much light but in the end she had a layer of malleable crystal that reflected the purple lighting, giving her skin a purple hue to it.

"Now I'm not." She commented and they all had nothing else to say but to agree.

Mae pushed the cart full of Galra parts with Shiro inside, keeping a calm facade up as she made her way towards the Galra ship. The helmet she wore reeked and it made her want to gag. But it was nothing compared to the stench of a blood soaked battlefield. She swallowed a ball of rising saliva and froze when some sentries held up their hands.

"Halt." She obeyed, worried she'd have to fight but they only allowed some glowing canisters to pass before she was allowed to move again.

She pushed the cart to an empty room before she allowed Shiro to get out. He gave a couple of grumbled on how "she should hide in the box next time. See how she likes it" before he steeled his nerves and they made it to the information deck. Mae stood guard while Shiro interfaced with the system.

"What's going on here? Who are you?" A Galra soldier appeared around a corner and Mae hid a gasp, hand shooting forward to yank the unsuspecting soldier into the information room. His helmet flew off and the door shut behind them, the soldier hitting a wall.

"Keep going!" She hissed to Shiro as he paused.

The soldier tried to get up and throw a punch but she grabbed his outstretched arm and jammed her hand into his elbow, snapping the joint and making him cry out in pain. He swung disoriented with his other arm and she ducked under it, rising and slamming her helmeted head into his nose before clapping her hands over his ears, breaking his nose and bursting his eardrums. The whole exchange lasted a couple of seconds and he dropped like a sack of flour. Shiro watched slack jawed, eyes wide as she made sure he didn't attempt to call for help.

"What?" She glanced incredulously and he shook his head. Both of them jumped when the soldier groaned. Mae spun back and made a decision as Pidge walked Shiro through with the information.

"Wha- whatsappening?" The soldier slurred and she forced him to his feet, him leaning on the wall heavily.

"Attention soldier!" She snapped, furrowing her eyes and clicking her heels together. The soldier scrambled to a haphazard salute, eyes disoriented.

"Where's where's Chief Information Officer Plytox?" He managed to get out, his broken arm dangling limply at his side.

"Who do you think you're looking at officer?" She demanded and he jumped at the harsh tone in her voice.

"S-sorry sir… But… you look like a-?" Mae stepped on his foot, he yelped in pain.

"I look like a Galra! Shut up or I'll have you demoted!" She barked,

"So-sorry sir! I guess… I think it's my head…. My head hurts… and my ears…" He groaned and she rolled her eyes, playing the part of Galra commander.

"Enough with that!" She commanded and his jaw snapped shut, she narrowed her eyes behind helmet and knew he wouldn't be of any help. She clenched a fist and drove it into his already broken nose just as alarms went off.

Shiro and Mae sprinted through the halls of the ship, the Black Paladin barking orders to Pidge to come pick them up and get them out of here. They skidded into a ship bay where a pod was laying waiting. They shoved their shoulders into the door as Galran drones attempted to get in to capture them.

"Formulating navigation. All crew assume secure hyper-speed positions." Came a male drone voice and a cold pit settled in Mae's stomach.

"Get in the pod! We can't leave once the ship goes into hyper-speed!" She ordered Shiro and he shook his head,

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Shiro that is an order! GET IN THE SHIP!" Bellowing the order, Mae started to crystallize the opening, sealing the Galran soldiers out. It was slow and she knew she wouldn't make it.

"NO!" Shiro shouted back, eyes blazing with determination.

The drones were breaking through the barricade and she knew she had to do something, she could hear the engines powering up for hyper-speed. She grasped the collar of Shiro's armor and with a boost of her magic, she flung him onto the escaping pod with her prosthetic hand. He crashed into the bay of it just as the doors closed and kept him inside the pod. The drones broke through and she smiled sadly at Shiro's horror-stricken face as the drones forced her to the ground, trapping her arms behind her. The last thing she saw was his pod escaping and thinking " _ **At least he's safe**_ " before her head was slammed into the ground and everything went black.

…..

 **HAHA CLIFFHANGER! Next chapter concluded season 1 of Voltron and season 2 will be started shortly after! Season 1 and 2 will be in Crystallized and season 3 and 4 will be in the second book; which is now called 'Wounded'!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until next time!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Comment Review Time!**

 **Whitewolf815 from Fanfiction: Cliffhangers are what I do best! As for the stilts thing, it took me soooooo long to figure out how it would work since she obviously take place of Allura in this situation and can't shapeshift like Allura can. Thanks again for reading!**

 **Akiko Crystal from Quotev: She may not kick his butt in the way you might think! But this chapter features Mae's firecracker temper that Alfor nicknamed her for!**

…

It was dark and cold when Mae finally awoke. She slowly opened her eyes and coughed a little and frowned in concern. Her head didn't hurt which was concerning, and when she tried to sit up; she realized that her arms were bound behind her back with thick metal cuffs. She struggled against the binds and froze when the door to whatever room she was in opened with a hiss. Haggar stood silhouetted in the doorway, glowing yellow eyes.

"Come with me.." She growled, hand glowing with blackish purple magic and Mae was forced to her feet by an unknown force.

Mae was thrown unceremoniously to the ground, her bare feet coming into contact with the cold floor. Her armor had been stripped and she was left in her skin-tight undersuit of the armor. When she looked up, her lips curled back into a snarl as she was met face-to-face with Emperor Zarkon. She shot to her feet, stumbling but inhaling and releasing a _Crystal Dragon Roar_. A blast of magic hit her back and caused her to hit the ground with a pained scream. The Roar was easily deflected by a wave of Zarkon's hand.

"Commander Mae…"

"You ASSHOLE! You destroyed Altea!" Mae struggled against the lightning arcing across her body and forced herself to stand.

Haggar strengthened her magic and forced Mae to her knees with the pain.

"Voltron….. Is going to END your pathetic reign… and send your sorry ass BACK to the Hell Hole you crawled out of!" She snarled, crystal vapors leaking from between her clenched teeth.

"No, it will only make me more powerful. Your father knew that as well as I. That's why he led me to believe he destroyed it all those years ago. But now, your new paladins will come for you, and they will deliver Voltron to me, and, with it, the key to unimaginable power." He said, almost mockingly and waved for Haggar to take Mae away.

But Mae wasn't going down without a fight. They neared the cell she was placed in and thrown in roughly. She let out a yell and fought against the restraints, magic coursing through her body as her eyes glowed.

" ** _CRYSTAL DRAGON: SOLID SLICE!_** " She screamed as she broke out of Haggar's magic and encased her feet in deadly crystal shards. Launching herself towards the witch, she kicked her feet and missed Haggar's head by centimeters. Haggar ducked under the blow and teleported a few feet from the raging dragon slayer. Mae broke out of the restraints, her feet creating gouges in the metal floor. The floor beneath her glowed with a magic circle and Haggar's eyes widened.

"TAKE THIS YOU WITCH!" Mae screamed and raised her fists above her head before slamming them down onto the ground.

….

An explosion rocked the ship and nearly sent Shiro to the ground. He got to his feet, making a split second decision and heading towards the source of the noise. There was a high chance it could've been Mae and he had to get her, get the Black Lion, and get out of there.

A massive wall-like mass of crystal tore up a hallway, the Witch Haggar teleporting right in front of him. His hand activated and she spun, sharpened canines glinting in the dim light.

"Champion…." She hissed before another wave of crystal cascaded down the hallway almost like liquid before solidifying into jagged shards. An angry Mae stormed around the corner and Shiro froze. She looked almost like she had against Akhlys from Keith's photo. Her hair wasn't solid but she bore the same snarl from the photo.

Her snarl faded when she spotted Shiro.

"Shiro?" She asked, confused and her eyes widened,

"Shiro behind-" A blast of pain tore through his side and he fell down with a scream. Haggar had teleported behind him and clawed a dangerous looking wound in his side. He vaguely heard Mae screaming something before a blast shot over his head. The world spun but he forced himself to stand.

"Shiro? Shiro can you hear me?" Mae's voice was muffled and his ears rung as Haggar's magic coursed through his wound and throbbed with a burning pain. He blinked and felt a cool sensation over his wound before his vision cleared.

"M-Mae?" He said, realizing that he was slumped against a wall. Mae squated next to him and had both her hands clasped over his wound, a gentle blue light emanating from her palms.

"Yes I'm here. Come on, we have to get you up and back to the Black Lion."

"Are you healing me?" He asked, confused until she took her hands away and he saw a thin crystalline sheen over his wound.

"No, but I stopped the bleeding until we can get you healed back on the ship."

"Mae? Shiro?!" Came a familiar voice and they spotted Hunk racing down the hallway, Bayard at the ready.

"Hunk? Thank goodness! Help me get Shiro standing!" Mae leaned back on her heels and looked up to the Yellow Paladin. His Bayard disappeared and Shiro hissed slightly as the two of them got him back on his feet.

"What happened?" Hunk asked, glancing back to the two of them as he watched the front with his Bayard in his hands again.

"That witch Haggar got him." Mae said and Shiro saw her watching him from the corner of her eye as he followed them at a run.

….

Mae hid a groan as the two of them retrieved the Black Lion. She held onto the back of Shiro's chair as he fired up the beast and then they were flying. There was a fight between the Red Lion and someone she couldn't see and she clenched her hands into fists, fighting off her motion sickness as Shiro swooped in and grabbed the Red Lion.

Mae's eyes met with Zarkon's glowing yellow ones and she saw a promise in those eyes, a promise that he would hunt them down and destroy her as soon as he retrieved Voltron.

"Shiro!" Came Pidge's voice and her face popped up on the dashboard.

"We're heading back. Allura create a wormhole!" He barked and Mae leaned forward,

"It looks like the Galra might be jamming our ability to create one." She said, hearing the excited voices of the rest of the Paladins and Coran.

"Mae! You're alive!"

"What did you think I'd die?"

"Weeeeeeellllll….."

"Say that to my face again and I'll kick your ass! I dare you!"

As soon as the Black Lion landed in the bay of the Castle, it rocked. Mae lost her footing at her place at the dashboard and flung her practically into Shiro's lap. He grunted but his arm pulled her into a sitting position and kept ahold around her waist to make sure she didn't fall again.

"Coran what's happening?" He demanded through the communicator and Mae saw Coran's worried face as he replied

"The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised! It's breaking down!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"What does that mean?" Mae's voice mixed with Lance's as the rocking got more violent. She had one hand clutching at the armrest nearest to her and the other around Shiro's arm to keep her from being flung around the cockpit.

"It means we have no control over where we're headed!"

Mae could only hope and pray that they would be okay as they were flung out of the Lion's bay and into the endless spinning of space. The last thing she saw was the reddish purple of the wormhole before they were rocketing downwards into the chasm of a planet.

The last thing she really remembered was the grip of Shiro around her waist and the spiraling grayness of the planet below before they crashed.

….

 **GUYS I FINISHED SEASON ONE ON THE LAST OF DAY OF THIS NOVEL WRITING MONTH FOR MY CREATIVE WRITING CLASS! I DID WHAT I PLANNED TO DO FOR ONCE! WOOHOO!**

 **Anyway I hope you like all the Shiro x Mae moments I've been writing! Comment some ship names for them! I want to see what you come up with!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **brittany anderson from Quotev: I'll definitely add it to the list! That was actually one of my first choices as a matter of fact!**

 **WhiteWolf815 from FanFiction: Hello my friend! Thanks for the wonderful tips! As for going back and reviewing it before I submit it, I actually could be marked down for that! I love my teacher to bits but she is teaching us to write a full first draft before worrying about editing of any kind. Literally the only editing I do is making sure nothing is misspelled. But fun fact! I've already rewritten this 3 times! This story is the third draft I've written for Crystallized! As for the subtle details, that is a thing I am working on! I have made some foreshadowing and had subtle details in previous chapters but some of the details are a little vague? Hopefully I can get better at it!**

 **Akiko Crystal from Quotev: I make no promises! I hope this chapter will satiate your insanity until the next chapter!**

 **StormfastPrime from FanFiction: Those ship names are so creative I love it! As for easing into the romance, I'm trying my best to do so! Honestly they'll have little moments but tiny spoiler; I'm not expecting to write some serious romance until like end of Season 2 maybe part way through Season 3 or maybe even 4(?). But there will be moments in between to help build up their relationship! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

 **LuciferPinkWings from FanFiction: THE BEST CROSSOVER BOOK ON FAIRY TAIL IM SCREAMING THANK YOU SO MUCH! As for Allura and Mae settling differences? Well you'll just have to see! ;)**

…..

Mae opened her eyes groggily as she realized just what had happened and where they were. She was on the ground, blood seeping from a wound at her temple where she had hit her head in the fall. She sat up, brushing her hair away from her face and spitting a piece out of her mouth. She worked her jaw in circles, grimacing at the aching and bruises that were no doubt going to form.

"Mae?" Came a groggy, disoriented voice and she looked up to see Shiro straightening up in the pilots seat. The Dragon Slayer pushed herself into a wobbling standing position.

"Are you still breathing over there?" He asked as he fixed his helmet and she snorted,

"Does wheezing count?" She rasped and her lips twitched at the sight of a small smile growing on his lips.

The two of them clambered from the crashed Lion and looked at the barren wasteland in the ravine they crashed in. Mae breathed out the sight of gray nothingness.

"Where are we?" She whispered to herself in frozen awe.

"Keith, are you there? Keith?" Came Shiro's voice and Mae glanced over to see him trying to reach the Red Paladin through his helmet. She heard hissing and growling below them and her eyes widened to see creatures of the planet clawing at the downed Black Lion. They were larger than her and varying sizes, some towering over them while others coming up to Shiro's shoulder height at least.

"We have to get to higher ground…" She whispered and the two of them clambered off the other side of the lion. She heard Shiro talking to Keith as she pushed them both towards higher ground and hopefully out of reach of the creatures. The ground beneath them crumbled and Mae slipped out of Shiro's reach and tumbled to the bottom of the chasm they were in. Her vision blurred as she most likely hit her head several more times. The creatures roared and leapt towards her with claws extended.

A crystal shard erupted from the ground and blocked several of the monsters as Mae slammed a fist on the ground. The monsters crashed into the shards of crystal that erupted from the ground and created a cage around her. It kept the creatures at bay and she could hear Shiro behind her up on the cliffs, fighting off monsters of his own.

She scrambled to her feet, dodging a smaller creature that tore through the crystal barrier. She was knocked back and felt her head pound as she hit her head for what seemed like the millionth time.

The monster pounced on her and lunged, she held up her right arm and the fangs sank into the metal, sparks flying as the arm was being forcibly torn from the metal port.

"Wrong arm you little bitch." She gritted her teeth as it tore and twisted. It let go of the arm and lunged for her face just as she opened her mouth.

" _ **CRYSTAL DRAGON ROOOOOAAAAR!**_ " She screamed and the magic beam exploded from her mouth and through the monster's head and sent blood and tissue flying. It shredded flesh and rock alike as she stood and kept the magic flowing out of her mouth, leaving deep gouges in the environment. The monsters were destroyed and her arm kept sparking.

More monsters poured from underground crevices and she flung her left hand up towards where Shiro was trapped by more monsters.

" _ **CRYSTAL DRAGON SHIELD!**_ " A crystal dome formed itself over him and the monsters turned their attacks on her.

With her arm out of commision and left alone against a horde of monsters, she cast a spell she hadn't used since her fight with Akhlys.

" _ **CRYSTAL DRAGON SACRED ART! LUMINOUS SHOCK: OVERLAY!**_ " She bellowed, finally giving the attack a name as she slammed her broken fists into the ground, cracking the concrete.

The creatures within a 30 meter radius were immediately crystallized, frozen in place. Mae panted heavily, staggering to her feet as her arm continued to spark and blood dripped from her forehead and temple down to her chin. Several other creatures out of her line of power surged forward and she growled, preparing another attack.

There was a bone shaking roar and the Black Lion landed in front of her, swiping the monsters to the side. Mae ducked under flying debris as crystal shards was broken. She had to roll to avoid one of the monster statues, grunting with shock as one of the shards hit her back. The creatures were destroyed as statues or ran away and she felt the overwhelming presence of the Black Lion looming over her like a guardian as it roared a warning.

The three of them sat around a campfire, nursing their wounds. Mae leaned back with her eyes closed as Keith and Shiro spoke in soft tones.

"Thanks for saving me." Shiro wheezed out and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His hand clutches at his side and she blinked wearily before pushing her aching body to her knees.

"You'd have done the same for me." Keith replied and Mae placed her hands on Shiro's side where her makeshift crystalline cover was chipping away. Her hands flowed a blueish purple as she strengthened the cover,

"How's your wound?"

"My wound's great. It's getting bigger all the time. Just trying to lighten the mood." Shiro grunted as she covered the glowing injury with more magic.

"Thank you Mae." He said as she removed her hands, she frowned at the crimson blood covering her palms infused with Galran magic.

"No problem, you need rest now. Until we are rescued you need to take it easy."

She sat back on her haunches, her right arm trembling as the occasional spark popped out of the circuits.

"What was that power you used when fighting the monsters Mae?" Came Shiro's voice and she glanced down at her left hand which clenched into a fist.

"A Dragon Slayer Sacred Art. Loads more powerful than my normal magic but takes up my power twice as fast." She said, sitting back against the rocks and tossed more kindling into the fire.

"Can you use it at will?"

"No, well technically yes. But I don't like to. It takes a lot of concentration and is really only used in the heat of battle." She rolled her shoulders,

"Gives me a hell of a sore body though."

Just then, Shiro coughed violently

"Hang in there. When Allura and Coran find us, they'll fix you right up." Keith said and Shiro sighed, his next words freezing Mae in her tracks.

"Keith, if I don't make it out of here I want you to lead Voltron."

Mae and Keith froze before they both talked at once;

"Stop talking like that. You're gonna make it."

"Don't talk like that. Like hell I'd let you die."

Shiro looked at them both and nearly said something before there was an explosion in the sky and the Castle of Lions came through a wormhole.

…..

 **HEY EVERYONE! SORRY FOR THE HIATUS LIFE GOT HELLA BUSY!**

 **First of all, I graduated! I am no longer a high schooler!**

 **Second of all, I quit my job! I need a new one but I have to wait until I turn 18 to get the one I want!**

 **ALSO SEASON 6 OF VOLTRON CAME OUT AND I AM SHRIEKING! I also realized that now I have to write it and I'm not looking forward to and also really looking forward to it!**

 **Quick note to everyone! The first book: Crystallized is going to have the first two seasons and will probably be the longest.**

 **Book 2: Wounded will include seasons 3 &4 and also some side story stuff with just Mae (** _ **I'm reeeaaaally looking forward to it because one of my favorite characters of the Crystallized series will finally be coming in and I love the interactions with Mae. And also Lotor but he's more of an afterthought.**_ **)**

 **Book 3: Cloudburst will have seasons 5 &6! Cloudburst means sudden and heavy rainfall which kind of happens in seasons 5&6\. Like a lot of crap happens.**

 **And that's all I have planned!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **WhiteWolf815 from FanFiction: And more you shall get my dear friend!**

 **Akiko Crystal from Quotev: I am trying my hardest my friend! Now that it's summer chapters should be coming out a little quicker!**

…..

 _(LOTS OF CREATIVE LIBERTY IS TAKEN WITH THE BLADE OF MARMORA AND INFORMATION IN THIS EPISODE)_

Mae heard muffled arguing as she slowly came to out of the clutches of unconsciousness. She attempted to move but found herself unable, her eyes drooped close whilst she found the blackness but it sucked her under again.

Opening her eyes as she awoke again, she saw blue, a glassy blue that told her she

was in a healing pod. Her eyelids felt heavy; like they were weighed down with rocks, but she fought to keep them open and succeeded as the pod opened up and she stepped out on trembling legs. Her knees buckled just as she made it to a medical examination table and sat down heavily. Her prosthetic arm seemed to be fixed and her leg was in perfect working order, a few scratches to prove she had actually been injured.

"While we're waiting, I'm going to see if Mae is- MAE! You're awake!" Came Hunk's lethargic then excited voice. She glanced up from the tables' edge to see him nearly running over to her. He wrapped her up in a tight hug, babbling at nearly blinding speeds.

"We were so worried! Keith and Shiro had to basically drag you into the healing pods! You were so badly injured! Your arm nearly shorted out and stopped your heart! And-"

"Hunk calm down before you pass out." She said tiredly and smiled at him to calm his nerves. His shoulders sagged in relief and he let her go just as alarms began screaming and flashing red.

"There's an intruder in the Castle!" Coran screamed over the intercom and Mae shoved Hunk towards the infirmary door.

"Go help stop this guy! I'll be fine on my own." She said and he grinned and nodded.

It felt like forever before she felt like she could walk without falling over. Pushing her feet up under her, Mae changed from the healing pod jumpsuit into some folded clothes at the end of the table, a simple tunic and trousers with her worn boots. Feeling refreshed, she walked out of the infirmary and almost on autopilot to where her nose told her the Paladins were.

Upon arriving, she discovered there was a newcomer aboard, most likely the 'intruder'.

"Mae! How are you feeling?" Pidge asked once she spotted the weary commander.

"Like I got attacked by lizard monsters." She joked and narrowed her eyes on the intruder. He seemed tall and obviously a Galra. His eyes were a menacing yellow but seemed almost submissive but controlling, like he knew the situation he was in. He was garbed in dark violet and black armor, his pale purple skin contrasting it.

"So this is the intruder huh? I'm disappointed in you all, you should've been able to take down one Galran by yourselves without my help." She said, crossing her arms. The Galra man looked at her, slightly hunched but in no way showing signs of weakness.

"Who are you Galra?" She asked, the Paladins stepping aside so she could get a better look at the man. She stood directly in front of him beside Allura and Coran.

"I am Ulaz." Was all he said and she nodded as if confirming the information before turning to the Paladins.

"Alright how about you clue me in on what the hell is going on and who this guy is?"

Mae tapped her foot as Shiro finished explaining and tapped her chin.

"So?" Came Lance's voice. Mae turned back to Ulaz who hadn't spoken a word since the explanation. She looked at the style of his armor and then it clicked just who this guy was. His handcuffs beeping slightly as she waved her hands over them and disabled them.

"Mae-"

"What in the Quiznack-!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Taking off the handcuffs. It's not necessary." She cut them all off as Ulaz stood. He towered over her 5'5" frame.

"I could've killed you." He rumbled and she shrugged,

"Possibly but the vice versa is also true. But I doubt it, since I've worked with your organization before." It was silent before Ulaz narrowed his eyes,

"What do you mean-"

"Before Zarkon went mad, the Blade of Marmora which you come from worked alone, defeating tyrant rulers much like Zarkon but on a much smaller scale. You've heard of Commander Mae Topaz right? Well that's me." She said, grinning at the almost stumped look on Ulaz's face. Recognition flickered in those yellow eyes of his before he slowly dropped to one knee, bowing his head.

"My apologies Commander, I had no idea you were alive. Forgive my disrespect." He said and she grinned wider, patting his head with her flesh hand.

"Don't worry about it buddy, no harm done. Now stand up, all the formalities make me feel older than I am."

"Wait you know Mae?!" Lance cut in and Ulaz stood, nodding as he did so.

"Of course. Every Blade member knows of Commander Mae, with hair like fire and eyes like gems. She could wipe out entire armies by herself with a flick of the wrist or breath of the lungs." Mae threw her head back and laughed, oh how the stories were changed over the course of 10,000 years.

"You flatter me Ulaz, it took a lot more than a flick of the wrist to defeat armies. I fought just like the rest of you."

"Not with that Secret Art of yours or whatever it's called." Keith said and she shrugged,

"Sacred Art and that can only do so much with the state I'm in now."

"You've seen a Sacred Art of the Commander? That was considered a high honor to see when she fought. No one could survive."

"Again, you're flattering me Ulaz. That was 10,000 years ago."

The Paladins were wary, 4 of the 5 had their hands ready to access their weapons. Mae stood next to Ulaz to provide them with a sense of relief though she knew they had nothing to worry about.

"I am alone on this base." Ulaz snapped her from her thoughts as he spoke.

"What is this base you're talking about? Shiro's coordinates just led us to this wasteland." Allura snapped and Mae sighed,

"Someday you'll have to look past your prejudice Princess. Unkind words can lead to wars against those who have the potential to be our allies." Mae said, mostly under her breath but Allura heard. The white haired princess turned her scathing glare onto Mae who simply smiled.

"The base is hidden. Now that I know it is Shiro that has come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead." Ulaz explained, gesturing to the passing xanthorium clusters. Mae had to give them credit, the Blade got smarter over the years.

"Behind all the xanthorium clusters?" Pidge asked, eyes narrowed but alight with curiosity.

"No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time."

"Coran, are you hearing this?"

"I am picking up some kind of anomaly on the screen. I suppose it could be a cloaked base." The ginger man explained and Mae whistled,

"You guys certainly got more advanced over the years."

"Thank you Commander."

"Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see." Ulaz said and Allura interjected,

"You think you're going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?" She snapped and Shiro spoke up in an attempt to calm her down. Mae sat back, wanting to see how this played out.

"We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now?" The Black Paladin asked, obviously wanting to understand Ulaz and everything else.

"You know I trust you Shiro, but this doesn't feel right."

"And you know I hate to agree with Keith, but it's a big fat ditto for me."

"Galra could have implanted fake memories of the escape in your head."

"Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they'd have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which his hand does have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to his brain, which yeah."

"Ulaz freed me. Without him, we wouldn't be here." Shiro pleaded with the Paladins and they all looked to Mae who was leaning against a wall.

"What do you think Mae?" Coran asked and she sighed heavily,

"Look, I trust this guy. I've worked with the Blade in the past and he doesn't smell fishy so I say it's a green light to go ahead."

"You're basing your trust in this guy based on smell?!" Allura demanded and Mae nodded after a moment,

"And past memories but yeah. My nose hasn't been wrong yet." The two sisters had a stare down, Mae looking up at Allura while the younger princess seethed down at the red head.

"Fine. Slow and steady Coran. Head for the xanthorium clusters." The white haired princess relented after she realized that they weren't getting anywhere.

"Yes, Princess. Beginning approach. Impact imminent in five, four, three, two…"

….

Mae sprinted back to the main deck of the Castle as everything around her dissolved into chaos.

"I knew he could not be trusted!" Mae heard Allura shout as the Paladins came back onboard.

"Ever stop to think it wasn't his fault Princess?" She argued just as Shiro said "It wasn't him!"

"How can you be sure?" Mae growled at Allura's persistence and glared at the back of her younger sister's head. She looked on screen and saw the monster for the first time and snorted. To her it looked like a garbage can, a…. Very evil garbage can…

"It doesn't matter now. What should we do?!" Coran asked desperately and Mae chewed on her lip. She wouldn't be of much help, her space suit was still being fixed so she couldn't go out and help. She was stuck here.

"Everyone get to your lions, but don't launch. We'll have to wait and see what it does. I don't want to risk fighting it if we don't have to." Shiro instructed and Mae felt a swell of pride,

"Smart move Shiro… Smart move." She whispered and watched as the monster drew closer.

The area shook as the monster drew in the xanthorium clusters and fired a shot.

"Direct hit! He definitely knows we're here!"

"Get the particle barrier up!"

"He's readying another attack!"

"He's pulling us in as well! Paladins! I think it's time to launch!" Multiple voices cried out as Mae clutched onto a metal bar to keep herself steady. It creaked and gave under the pressure of her grip. She left metal gouges in the bar as the Paladins formed Voltron and launched an attack. The space fold was taken down and she saw a ship take off into space.

"Well, there goes Ulaz." Coran exclaimed and she heard the com link in her ear buzz, all the while Voltron was fighting against the monster.

"Commander Mae, this is Ulaz. Are you alone?" The Galran asked through the link and Mae glanced back to Allura and Coran.

"I'm here. I'm out of earshot of anyone else. Ulaz what are you doing?" She demanded and heard a grunt as Ulaz pushed his ship faster and faster.

"Voltron is too valuable to lose. The universe needs them. I'm doing my part in ensuring the victory against the Galra." A cold feeling settled in her stomach as she realized what was happening.

"Don't you dare Ulaz." She commanded, voice going cold.

"I'm sorry Commander. But this is the only way to ensure Voltron's victory against this foe. I don't have anything to lose. Make sure they make it to the Blade of Marmora when the time comes. Knowledge or Death." He said and before she could even say anything, he cut the com link between the two, leaving her in stunned silence.

It was almost like everything was muffled as she watched him pilot his ship straight into the mouth of the beast. Mae could vaguely hear the Paladins screaming for him to stop but he opened a space pocket inside the space monster and made it collapse in on itself.

"He did it!"

"Ulaz saved us!"

"He's gone…"

Mae glared at the gladiator before her as she viciously fought against it. After Ulaz's death, she had locked herself on the training deck, clad in a skin tight shirt and trousers that were easy to move in. Her bare feet slapped against the ground as droids spun above her, shooting blasts as she twirled a staff and crashed it against the gladiator's. Sweat soaked her face as she dodged blasts from the droids above and rolled under a swipe from the gladiator. Mid roll, she poured magic into her staff and thrust it upwards, slicing the now formed sword through the robot and sending it crashing to the ground.

The droids increased their fire, leaving her crouched beneath a formed shield. She gritted her teeth, imagining the droids as the beast that ended Ulaz's life. She knew it was the right thing to do but he didn't deserve the discrimination from her team. He died knowing that few actually trusted him.

Her fists lit up with her magic power and she dissolved the shield, crouching before jumping up and casting her spell.

" _ **CRYSTAL DRAGON WING ATTACK!**_ " She roared and sent the slices of crystal towards her opponent. The droids were completely obliterated, either sliced in half or disintegrated.

"Mae?" Came Shiro's voice and she landed lightly on the ground. Turning, purple eyes met dark gray as Shiro almost peeked out from behind his formed shield.

"Shiro? What are you doing here?" Mae was panting slightly, after effects of fighting.

"Everyone is asleep, but obviously I couldn't. And well... you've been in here for several hours. I just wanted to make sure you were okay….." He trailed off and she shrugged, kicking away stray pieces of the robots.

"Just blowing off some steam." She grunted and he nodded hesitantly.

It was silent for several minutes as Mae cooled her temper and swept bits of robots off to the side.

"Want a sparring partner?" The Black Paladin asked suddenly and she looked up in surprise. For the first time she noticed he wasn't in armor, dressed in training clothes just like herself.

"Fine." She relented and her weapons dissolved.

Without a moment's notice, she lunged at him and swept her foot up in a high roundhouse kick. The taller man ducked under her kick, rolling away and taking a swipe at her with his Galra arm. The two of them traded blows, neither really able to gain the upper hand. Mae was already worn out from her previous training sessions, Shiro was just getting started. He was much larger than her height and weight wise but she also had many more years experience.

She ran at him, pushing off the ground in a jump and twisting in midair. Her legs locked around his neck in a scissor kick and she pulled him to the ground. He landed with a hard 'oof' as the air left his lungs.

The Crystal Dragon Slayer got up, panting hard as she held a hand down to help him up. He grabbed ahold of her hand and yanked, sending her toppling down beside him. She landed more gracefully than he did but shrieked in surprise nonetheless.

The two of them lay on the floor, catching their breath from their latest battle.

"Looks like I still won every round Shiro." She panted, kicking herself up into a sitting position. He let out a wheezing laugh.

"I tried." He said as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"That you did. But I'm still better."

"Not for long. I'll beat you someday."

"Yeah right! I'll always kick your ass! That's a promise! I'll always be there to kick you off your high horse!"

"Are you sure? I mean you are technically really old..."

"Hey! I'll make you pay- Hey! Don't run away from me dammit! Get over here so I can kick your ass into next week! Stop laughing at me asshole!"

…..

 **Teasing Shiro is the best Shiro!**

 **Thanks so much for reading guys! It really means a lot! Also, chapters might be iffy during the month of July. I'll be at my mom's who doesn't have a computer which is what I normally write on. But I'll try my best!**

 **Please favorite, follow, and comment!**

 **Comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	16. Important PSA

Hello everyone. I come bearing some solemn news.

No I'm not deleting this story or any of my stories.

But I am now an adult (I turned 18 whoop dee freaking do) and am finding myself overwhelmed with life, love life, finding a job, stressing about college, family stuff, and my stories.

I have made promises of not waiting so long to update but obviously that isn't happening and I sorely apologize for keeping hopes up.

I have done something with my stories I never thought I'd do.

I burnt myself out.

Completely.

I think it had to do with the workload I was putting on myself and I was making myself unhappy with how my chapters were turning out so I just stopped writing all together.

Literally I haven't written ANYTHING in 3-4 months.

And as an overly stressed out author I have come to a decision.

One that hurts me to make.

I am putting my stories on hiatus.

Not all of them. But I am putting all stories on hiatus until I finish one and then I'll take one off and focus on that one. Focusing on one story at a time if you will because if I don't then I'll end up with story after story that I won't finish and I don't want to do that to you guys.

The story I'm going to focus on is Frostbite.

A Pro Hero!Izuku Midoriya x OC platonic relationship story. A father-daughter relationship if you will

I really want to explore this story concept I've had for a while and finally found an ounce of creativity to write it.

I'm really sorry for disappointing everyone and making promises I couldn't keep but this is the only way I can think of to keep writing without giving up completely.

I'm sorry

But it's for my mental health.

Until next time.

FairyTailWzard over and out.


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